Things Change
by Justinian14
Summary: Fate has already decided that our lives will change, it's how we change that we are left to decide. Follow a young man as he is thrown from his peaceful life into a world of war, love, and many other things.Wu Based,GNxDQ, SSXxOC, and others
1. Chapter 1 The Reunion

"Things Change" by Justinian14

Summary: Fate has already decided that our lives will change, its how we change that we can decide. Follow a young man as his life changes and he is thrown into a world of war, love, and other things.(Wu based)

Author's Notes: First Fanfic so it might take me a while to get into this writing thing. Please be Patient.

Many of the events in this story are based a lot on the book and the characters, obviously, are based on the game.

Chapter 1 "The Reunion"

"Ahhhh. I love the water. The only thing better than the flowing river is the open sea."

"Keep your pants on, Ning. We're only here to check on the river defenses, not to take a vacation."

"Come on Shang Xiang, I've been stuck in that fortress for months now." Responded the ex-pirate, Gan Ning, as he scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on his face.

Sun Shang Xiang took of her shoes and dipped her feet in the cool water. "At least you get to go outside. I'm stuck in that dingy old fort all day."

"Then aren't you glad that you have a friend, who is willing to risk his life to sneak you out on patrol with him." He paused as he squatted down about to go for another handful of water. "Maybe its about time you returned the favor." Giving Sun Shang Xiang a small grimacing smile before returning his attention back to the water. But before he was able to scoop up anymore, he received a kick in his rear. He tumbled, head first, into the cold water.

"Sick Jerk!" Sun Shang Xiang angrily yelled, as she got up ready to leave.

Gan Ning quickly raised himself out of the water and with an angry look on his face, he yelled, "I meant make me a new bow, I just broke the last one you gave me. Geez! This water is freaking freezing."

Sun Shang Xiang, embarrassed by her assumption, looked away from Gan Ning and gazed out along the gently flowing river. Along the water, an object floated slowly on the horizon. It looked like a small raft but there was something on it. It drifted slowly to them. "Look" Sun Shang Xiang called to Gan Ning, as she pointed at the object coming towards them. "What is that?."

Gan Ning, without answering, swam out to the object and slowly brought it in. As he brought it in Sun Shang Xiang inspected the object on it. It was a body of a male, face down, wearing a light blue battle robe, with white pants on covering the areas not covered by the robe. He wore wore brown boots and had a brown, worn sword sheath on his back. He was completely soaked.

"Is he dead." She asked.

"I don't know wait a sec." Gan Ning grabbed the body of the raft, dragged it onto the solid ground, and flipped it over.

Sun Shang Xiang inspected the body. It was a young man, he looked only a couple of years younger than her, maybe 18. He was quite tall, a little bit on the lean side, and had a very handsome face. He had short dark brown hair, with brown eyes. His battle robe fit well on his body, not loose but not too tight. The bottom of the robe were cut all the way down to allow the legs, covered by the white pants, easy movement. He was still clutching onto a blade with both his hands. It looked like a common Tian Sword (Chinese longsword said to be the predecessor to the Kitana), but it was slightly curved and broader near the end, and it had a worn, old handle. There was also writing on the side of the blade but that didn't matter at the moment.

"Is he alive?" she asked, her eyes still glued to the body. Some time past, but no answer came. She looked over at her friend. His eyes were also glued to the body, but there was a look on his face that she had not seen on him before. It was a look of incredible disbelief, like the thing that he saw could not possibly be there.

Gan Ning had taken one look at the face then one at the sword and new exactly who it was. 'But how was it possible?' he thought. The memories started to suddenly flow quickly back into his head. He remembered that night, the last night of his innocence. All the feelings came back to him, the freezing water, the heat of the blaze, the screaming, the crying, the sound of clashing metal. The smell of burning wood mixed with the stench of inflamed corpses and freshly spilled blood. The yellow streaks everywhere, striking slashing, killing, destroying. Then back to the river, scared but together, with a small flame of hope still warming their hearts. But then separation, despair, and ...

'Smack!' "Wake up Ning!"

Gan Ning woke up. He shook his head trying to regain his focus.

"Whats wrong with you! You were out for like five minutes."

"I...I know him." he answered.

"Well, then who the heck is it?"

"It's...he's my brother."

Author's Notes: There were supposed to be two other chapters before this but I got tired writing them.

I might add them later or maybe not. We'll see.


	2. Chapter 2 Sun Quan's Decision

Chapter 2 "Sun Quan's Decision"

"YOUR BROTHER!"

"Well, not exactly" Gan Ning explained, "Look." He reached down and picked up the man's arm. He showed Sun Shang Xiang the mark on his palm and she read it out loud, "Gan Ning." Then he showed her the mark on his palm, "Get Sin."

"So, he's your oath brother, Get Sin."

"Yeah. About 8 years ago, during the Yellow Turban rebellion, our village was attacked. It was a complete massacre, both our fathers and many of the villagers tried to fight them off but were easily overwhelmed by hundreds of those darn yellow demons. We survived out of pure luck but were soon separated by the river. When I woke up, I had floated down the river where I eventually started my band, I was never able to find out what happened to him."

"How long had you been oath brothers." Sun Shang Xiang asked, as she started checking over the body again.

"Only a little more than a year before the attack. About 9 years ago, when I was 11 and he was almost 10. We had been friends, for as long as I remember. See that sword, my father had given it to his father many years ago. My father had been a river pirate for many years but was captured and taken into imperial custody, his father, an imperial guard, saved him from execution, then convinced him to live a peaceful life with him in a small village. There they met both of our mothers, and so we were born already destined to be good friends."

Sun Shang Xiang was looking over his left hand when she discovered another large mark, branded into his left hand's palm. "Whats this mark here?"

Gan Ning took a look at it, "I don't know. Let's take him back to Ru Xu Kou. I'm sure Zhou Yu or Lu Su will know what it is."

So, Gan Ning placed, the unconscious, Get Sin on his horse and Sun Shang Xiang retrieved her horse, and they made their way back to the Wu fortress at Ru Xu Kou. They went slowly in silence, Gan Ning completely lost in his thought and Sun Shang Xiang not wanting to disturb her friend. They made it to the fortress just before noon, everyone was already inside waiting to be served lunch. Sun Shang Xiang left her horse with Gan Ning, and went around the back of the fortress to sneak back into her room. While, Gan Ning, with the help of a few servants, carried the body inside.

In the main hall Gan Ning found Sun Quan talking with a few servants and the main chef.

"My Lord," Gan Ning said as he made a quick bow to Sun Quan. "We have something to talk about." As he said this he moved to the side, showing the body on a stretcher being carried by a few servants.

Sun Quan was always the kind of leader that kept close council. He always listened and valued the opinions of his generals and officials. That is how he was able to attract so many valuable men into his service. Seeing what Gan Ning might be asking and knowing his generals would have an opinion, he answered, "Wait, I will call a council right away"

He immediately sent his servants out to find the Generals. "Come, Gan Ning. To the council room."

The Council Room was a large, dimly lit chamber, with nothing in it except for a a large circular table. The table had a an opening on one side to reach the center,where Gan Ning and the still unconscious Get Sin were placed, all around the table were many chairs for the Generals and advisers to sit. The chair and section of the table opposite the opening, was elevated a bit higher over the rest, this is where Sun Quan seated himself. It was not long before the generals started to come in. The younger generals came in first, Zhou Yu, Lu Xun, Lu Meng, Ling tong, and Lu Su. Next came in the more senior generals, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, and Zhu Zhi. The last to come in were Taishi Ci and Zhou Tai.

"Is that everyone?" Sun Quan asked, as Zhou Tai took his seat right next to him. Before anyone could answer there was a commotion on the other side of the door.

"And what exactly do you think I am!" Someone yelled. "Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I'm not a general! Now open that door!" The door flung open and in came Sun Shang Xiang. She stopped in the doorway, standing in her normal cocky looking stance, to look around the room.

"Ahh, dear sister, were have you been? Your guards wouldn't even let me in your room this morning."

"Just sleeping in"

"Did you sleep in the mud or is that dirt on your shoes just decoration?"

Sun Shang Xiang realized that, even though she had changed into clean clothes, she had forgot to change her shoes. "Well...um...you know. I have to.. walk...through..."

"Alright, quiet. Just sit down, there are more important things to do." He waited as Sun Shang Xiang took her seat, he took one more look around the room and said, "ok, Gan Ning go ahead."

"Thank you, my lord." Gan Ning started. "Gentlemen, this man here is my oath brother, separated from me 8 years ago. His name is Get Sin. We fou...I mean...I found him on the great river, floating on a small raft. Before I make my request, I have something that must be looked at first." He held up Get Sin's left hand. "There is a mark branded into his left palm. I am asking that the council clarify the meaning of this mark for me and everyone here."

With Sun Quan's consent, Zhou Yu and Lu Su got up from their seats and moved to the center of the circle to inspect the mark. After a few minutes of inspection and whispering to each other, they stood up to address the council.

Lu Su started, "This is a mark of a criminal who is to be executed. It should say exactly what he did, but for some reason it only says that he is being executed for treason."

"Does it say where he was to be executed?" Sun Quan asked.

Zhou Yu took over, "No, it does say though that he was prosecuted in Chang An. He must of done something really big,too,because it says that Cao Cao, himself, ordered him executed."

"So, he, like many people, is an enemy of Cao Cao's?" Sun Quan asked.

"We cannot be sure of anything, right now. Cao Cao's is a very smart man, he comes up with many clever schemes." Zhou Yu answered.

"My lord, please, I must make my request. I know my brother and he will not betray our trust and he is not a spy. I also know, that he may not have any experience in battle or leading men,but I remember that years ago he used to study military manuals and strategy book and he would memorize battle tactics and formations. What I'm asking you, my lord, is that you give him some post in your kingdom. Whether it be a general or official, please, if you give him something that shows that you at least trust him, then he will stay loyal to you, just as I had." Gan Ning called out.

Sun Quan looked around the table, waiting for everyone to express their opinions.

Huang Gai stood up, "This man could have done anything, he could have massacred hundreds of innocent people or he could have lead a homicidal cult. I say we tie him back up to that raft, and send him back on his way, to justify what wrongdoings he must have done."

Gan Ning responded, "I think that our senior general is just afraid of losing his position to younger talent."

This comment seemed to make the generals explode. Everyone started to argue with everyone, like this had been boiling on the surface for a long time. Sun Quan sat back and waited for everyone to calm down. Being the leader of a kingdom where almost all the generals are either very young or very old, you have to deal with these kind of arguments. It is only the fact, that everyone in the kingdom is so loyal to him, that keeps them in his service.

After a few minutes, the generals started to quiet down. Suddenly, all the generals became quiet except for one. It was at that time, when the whole room was silent, that Ling Tong, unluckily for him, decided to voice his opinion. "If this man is a friend of Gan Ning's, he's probably a crazed, bloodthirsty maniac, too. I say we kill them both, chop them up, and send the pieces back to..." Ling Tong slowly realized that he was screaming this in a completely silent room, and quickly sat back down.

Everyone remained quiet, not wanting to get involved in that last comment. It was Gan Ning who broke the silence.

"Ling Tong...(sigh)...just shut the heck up, just shut... the...heck... up."

Sun Quan also answered, "Yes, please Ling Tong, we don't need any biased opinions right now." He turned back to Gan Ning. "Gan Ning, Huang Gai has already proved many times in the past, that he only does whats best for this kingdom, and Huang Gai, we can't just throw away people who could turnout to bevery talented generals."

"I was just saying, my lord, that whatever he did doesn't matter. He is still a criminal, how do we know we can trust them?" Huang Gai asked, his argument was followed by agreements from many of the generals.

Before Gan Ning could make a rebuttal, someone who had been expectantly quiet, spoke up.

"That has been the foundation of Wu for years." Sun Shang Xiang yelled out, as the rest of the generals became quiet. "Most of our generals, Gan Ning, Zhou Tai, Ling Tong and his father, Dong Xi, Zhu Zhi, and others, were pirates or brigands before my father or one of my brothers decided to trust them. And many of the rest of you, were not generals before you joined the Sun family, like you Huang Gai, you were just a poor farmer before my father took you in. The strength of the Wu kingdom has not come from already known generals fighting for money or land, but from the shaping of young, raw talent into great generals. Because of this, other kingdoms have considered us weak and unstable, but look at us now. We are one of the three strongest kingdoms in the land, and many of those kingdoms have fallen as we have grown. Will we now, when another great general in the making has been given to us, forget our past and the philosophies that got us here."

Everyone was quiet as they realized that their kingdom was a kingdom of misfits.

Sun Quan finally spoke. "Zhou Yu, my brother told me to consult you on such affairs, what have you to say?"

Zhou Yu walked up to Sun Quan and the two of them quietly whispered to each other. After a few minutes, it seemed as though Sun Quan had made a decision.

"Gan Ning, I have decided to make him your lieutenant."

"But, my lord, I do not have a high enough rank to take on a lieutenant." Gan Ning stated.

"Yes, I know, that is why I am giving you the rank of 2nd General of the West and I am increasing your command. But this is under one condition, you must take full responsibility for him and any consequences for the actions he may take will come back to you as well."

Yes, my lord, I will give my life as insurance of his good will." Gan Ning answered.

Good, its settled then. Have him taken to a room and have him cared for." Sun Quan then turned towards his sister and with a smile said, "we have a general to start molding."


	3. Chapter 3 He's got some Talent

Author's Notes: Help, I need some reviews people. I have very little motivation, so please review. Anybody. And on that note, thank you to Sirius123 for her reviews (but i feel that i have to warn you, I don't like Liu Bei or Zhuge Liang and that will become apparent as the story goes on. Sorry, but they just vex me in a way even i don't fully understand. I mean I at least respect Cao Cao but Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang are a different story. I'll try and tone it down a bit but im not promising anything.) And I know that these first few chapters have been kind of boring, but after all this introduction stuff is over there will be a battle scene every other chapter (and battle scenes are my specialty). Both GS and GN will have romantic interests as well. So please review. (and once again sorry about my hatred for LB and ZL, and I hope I didn't scary anybody off.)

Chapter 3 "He's got some Talent"

(Get Sin's POV)

I awoke slowly. Man my head hurts and that had to be the weirdest dream I've ever had. But its over now, I'm awake, back home, and the village is still safe and secure. I got up from my small, hard bed and stretched out. Deciding to get a refreshing drink of water before I started my daily exercises, I walked to the thin flap of deer skin that acted as my door. The second I pulled up the skin, I was hit by a cool gust of wind. I walked out, it was a cool, crisp morning, and as usual the only sounds were the few small birds and the few crickets who had not yet stopped chirping. The air up here was so clean and fresh. I stopped to take a deep breath. A gust of wind came down from the sky and brought with it a strange looking old man. He appeared before me suddenly, but for some reason beyond my understanding, I was not surprised, nor was I scared, the man seemed oddly familiar to me. He was an old man wearing a white robe, a long white mustache, and he covered his left eye with black patch.

"The winds of change have already taken. How you change, is up to you?" As quickly as he had come, he was gone, he seemed to disintegrate back into the very wind that brought him.

But his instantaneous visit sparked a barrage of questions in my mind. What was that all about? What does he mean 'the winds of change? Nothing has changed. I'm still here and the village is still down there, what else is there to change? Suddenly, a voice came out of the sky. It seemed to be calling to me. "HHHEEELLLLLLOOOOOOOooooo", the voice, even though it was very feminine, boomed throughout the mountain. It caused me to stop and cover my ears. "HHHEEELLLOOOOooooo" I knelt down, with my hands still covering my ears, the voice seemed to be pulling my body out of this world. I dared not remove my hands from my ears but the rest of my body tried desperately to stay on the ground. "You awake yet, buddy. HHHEEELLLLLLOO..."

I awoke suddenly, after being tossed out of my peaceful world. My eyes shot open, to see two large eyes and a face of a young woman staring at me, two inches away from my face. Shocked by this face so close to me, I screamed, "Ahhhhhh"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." The girl ran screaming out of the room. My sudden awakening must of shocked her, too.

I sat there trying to think about what had happened, where I was, and how did I get here, when I heard a short feminine giggle. I looked to my left and saw another woman sitting in a chair next to the bed, a old book in her hand. It was a young woman, maybe 20. She had short reddish-brown hair, with light brown eyes. She wore red shorts, with a red top, and she wore muddy red boots. She may not have been the classiest woman but she was beautiful none the less.

"Sorry about Xiao Qiao, she tends to get a bit hyper after she eats lunch." She said.

I, as calmly as I could, laid back down, too confused by my own thoughts to speak. She seemed to get the message, for she remained quiet for the next few minutes, even though I could still feel her eyes on me. I could barely remember anything, where I was, what happened to me? It took a while, but my memory came back slowly. 'I was running, yes, I was running for days on end. Then I fainted, but where, where was I? Come on, think. Oh, yeah, I was at that river, and I fainted...onto that stupid little raft. But why was I running.' My mind quickly took me all the way back to the village. 'Yes, I remember now, my last day there, the soldiers, the village elder, that little rat Cao Chun, then captivity. But then what happened...(deep breath)... CAO CAO, that jerk. You will pay for what you tried to do and if one soul in that village is harmed, no army, general, nor the god of war himself could protect you from my wrath.'

(3rd person POV)

Sun Shang Xiang remained quiet as she watched Get Sin. He was completely immersed in his mind, his eyes moved constantly as though he were trying to remember something then organize these new thoughts. It was him who finally spoke.

"Where am I?"

"Your in the the kingdom of Wu" she answered.

"Wu?"

"Yes, the kingdom of the Sun family with control over the 6 provinces of the southland."

"How did I get here?"

"Gan Ning and I fou..."

"GAN NING! Gan Ning is here." He interrupted, immediately sitting up.

"Yes, Gan Ning, your brother, is here. He was here since we brought you in, but I ordered him to go and get something to eat."

"How long have I been out?"

"We don't know how long you were out before we found you, but you've been out here for 3 hours. It's now about two hours past noon."

Get Sin laid back and looked up at the ceiling. He took in a deep breath, "but Gan Ning is here. Of course, the navy of Wu is the best in the world, why the heck did I never look here for that son of a river pirate." He may have been talking out loud but he was only talking to himself. He turned his head back to Sun Shang Xiang, "How long has he been here?"

"Gan Ning? um... about two years now." Sun Shang Xiang answered, and as she went to put her book on the table, she remembered the whole reason why she had waited for him to wake up. "Oh, shoot. I'm sorry. Are you hungry? We had the kitchen cook you a meal, it should still be warm." She brought over a large silver platter and laid it on the bed. She took off the cover, and displayed the feast. There was so much. Dumplings, chicken, etc., it looked like they put every kind of food they could find on the tray. "We didn't know what you liked, so we just got...er...pretty much everything."

Get Sin was speechless. For years, the only food he had eaten, over the years, was the modest foods the village people gave him or the cooked meat from his infrequent hunts. "Holy Crap! Thank You!" He immediately started to scarf down as much food as he could hold. Sun Shang Xiang just stood by watching the spectacle. Get Sin stopped for a minute reaching for the large glass. He inspected the contents in the cup, discovering it was wine.

"Sorry to ask you this. But do you think I could just get some water?"

"Yeah, sure" Sun Shang Xiang quickly grabbed the cup of water she had brought for herself and handed it to him.

"Sorry, I'm just not that big of a drinker."

"Don't worry. Neither am I. We just thought since your Gan Ning's brother...yeah..."

Get Sin finished the meal, and Sun Shang Xiang called a servant to take the platter away.

"So, I think you already know who I am, but I do not know who you are yet."

"Me? My name is Sun Shang Xiang.

"You don't mean..."

"Yep, the one and the only daughter of Sun Jian."

"Oh, I'm sorry , Lady Sun. I did not know I was in the presence of royalty."

"Hahaha. You don't have to call her 'lady', she's the furthest thing from royalty you can find. Heck, sometimes I don't even know if she is a lady." The voice came from a man standing in the shadow of the doorway.

Sun Shang Xiang picked up a pillow and threw it at the man, "Shut up, Ning! Don't worry about it Get Sin, and please don't call me lady, Shang Xiang will do."

"Thanks, Shang Xiang." Get Sin said this but he was still staring at the man in the door way.

Gan Ning slowly walked out into the light. "Good morning, brother. It's been a long time."

After their heartfelt reunion, they decided to go and talk to Sun Quan. They found a robe for Get Sin to wear, his clothes still being washed, and they were off.

"So, Sin. What do you think? Will you stay here with us, Sun Quan as already given you a position as my lieutenant. One promotion and your a general."

"Come on, Ning. You know full well I can't deny that request coming from you."

"Good."

"Tell me though, what is going on that makes your leader bring almost all his generals and most of his troops up to this small fort?"

"Sharp as ever, aren't you Sin. Cao Cao in the north has defeated Yuan Shao and his sons, and has taken control of their land. He controls almost all of the north, now his forces are moving south, so..."

"Didn't he suffer a defeat to Ma Chao."

"um...I don't know, he could have, we haven't got any info on his movements in a while. But how did you know...ah, it doesn't matter. What we do know is that his next target is the Southland, and Zhou Yu predicted that the attack will come here."

Sun Shang Xiang had been looking for the door to her brother's office and she finally found it, "We're here." She knocked quickly on the door, and a maid answered it. "We're here to speak to my brother."

"He's not here. He went with Lord Zhou Yu to drill the soldiers. But he did leave something to give Lord Get Sin when he woke up." The maid went inside and came back a few minutes later.

She brought with her a newly made robe, a pair of white pants, and a pair of brand new brown boots. It was exactly the same as the outfit they had found Get Sin in. It was the same design and measures but was made with much better materials and was much cleaner than his old one. The major difference, though, was the battle robes color, instead of Get Sin's light blue, it was red.

Get Sin took the gift from the maid and thanked her. Looking it over, he turned to Gan Ning and Sun Shang Xiang and asked, "what's up with you guys and all this red stuff."

The two of them looked at each other and tried to think. "I don't know it's always been like that" Sun Shang Xiang answered.

"Who cares, just go change so we can go outside." Gan Ning added.

"Oh, we're going outside. I'll go and sneak out, I'll meet you guys at..."

"Don't worry about it Shang Xiang, I already got it covered" Gan Ning interrupted.

"What?" Get Sin asked.

"Shang Xiang isn't allowed to go outside."

"My brother is a little overprotective, actually, pretty much my whole family is overprotective."

"I wonder why"

Get Sin changed into his new outfit, retrieved his sword from the armory, and they quietly went outside. They went to the arena where most of the generals were sparing. The three sat and watched, as the generals all came up and dueled each other. Gan Ning and Sun Shang Xiang introduced all the generals to Get Sin. Gan Ning took his turn dueling and even Sun Shang Xiang snuck herself in there.

"So, what do you think of the generals of Wu." Gan Ning asked his brother.

"Their alright I guess, of course I have no one else to compare them to. Shang Xiang you were pretty impressive out there."

"Thanks, I don't get to fight as much as all these men do so I have to train mostly in my room with my guards."

"Wait until you see her room, Sin. She's a psycho and don't even get me started on her guards." Sun Shang Xiang shot Gan Ning an ugly glare. "But did you see me out there, I handled Lu Meng quite easily, if you ask me."

They paused for a moment and looked over at the arena. Huang Gai was the last to go and was searching for someone to duel him.

"Well, remember you always used to be the warrior and I used to be the brains"

"Hey, I have changed a lot since then. I read my fair share of books, and am quite the strategist now." Gan Ning answered.

Get Sin stood up, picking up his blade and putting it on his back. "Well, your not the only one who can fight now, either." He turned as if to go down to the arena.

"I don't suggest fighting him right now, Huang Gai isn't exactly thrilled that you are here."

"I'll be fine."

"Are you going to use your sword in there, it might get chipped. Why don't you just get a disposable sword from the armory." Sun Shang Xiang asked.

"This sword can't be chipped. Ning will explain." Get Sin answered, as he started walking down.

"Ning?"

"Oh, yeah right. You remember the writing on the side of the blade. It claims that the blade chooses its wielder and only that wielder can use it. You see, when my father had the blade, it was dull and heavy, and it couldn't sharpened. Yet, when Sin's father, and Sin too apparently, held the blade it was sharper than any sword smith could make it, and it was surprisingly light. It's also impossible to put any kind of chip in the blade, believe me we've tried." Gan Ning answered.

(Sun Shang Xiang's POV)

I watched as he descended down to the arena, calling out to Lu Meng, who was looking for someone to spar with Huang Gai. I was not sure whether I was scared or excited to see him fight. Get Sin at least looked quite sure of himself. I noticed the smile of satisfaction on Huang Gai's face, he was probably overjoyed that he has the opportunity to prove that he was right. They both got in their position on opposite sides of the arena.

Huang Gai stood in his usual stance, standing up straight and constantly moving his huge iron mace. While Get Sin took up a much different stance. He stood sideways, with his left leg out in front. He was leaning back, putting most of his weight on his bent right leg. His right hand held loosely onto the blade behind him, and his left hand was out in front of him, helping him keep balance. He looked so calm, cool, and balanced. And with a wave of Lu Meng's arm the match started.

Get Sin slowly walked around the arena. He moved gracefully around the ring as if he were gliding. His breath remained calm and his eyes never wavered. After watching Get Sin move around for a while, Huang Gai charged forward to start the battle. I held my breath as the match began, hoping that Get Sin doesn't get hit by that huge mace, especially not on the first bout. Get Sin nimbly dodged the attack and gave a small flick of his sword at Huang Gai, who had to quickly bring up his small shield to block it. The duel went on like this for a while. I marveled at the way Get Sin fought. His movements were so fluent, no extra effort was used. He dodged Huang Gai's attacks so easily, effortlessly, that it seemed Huang Gai would never hit him. When Get Sin counter attacked, it did not seem as though he used all his strength, yet it took so much effort for Huang Gai to block them. Get Sin seemed to be playing with him.

Huang Gai started to get desperate. I saw his face and he seemed actually tired, while Get Sin still breathed easy. Huang Gai attacked again, but this time Get Sin did not dodge it. For the first time in the match, I saw strain on his face as he blocked the attack, but it quickly dissipated. They were stuck in a power deadlock. A smile appeared on Huang Gai's face as he found his chance to win. He summoned up all the strength he had left, closing his eyes, he pushed as hard as he could into Get Sin. But Get Sin had something else planned. He used his sword to push the mace aside, and with a quick sidestep, he allowed Huang Gai to push against nothing. He tumbled forward, throwing away his mace. Before he could get up Get Sin's blade was at his throat. I couldn't believe it, he won.

"What is this! What kind of a man backs down from a power deadlock?" I heard Huang Gai yell.

Get Sin skillfully placed his sword back into his sheath and answered, "Why should I fight like you do, when I gained victory so easily fighting my way." He offered a hand to Huang Gai only to have it batted away.

"Wow, he won." I said turning to Gan Ning.

Gan Ning gave me a small smile, "He could have won a long time ago, showoff! He may have learned how to fight, but I could probably still teach him a lesson."

"Yeah, well, either way hes got some talent." I looked back to see Get Sin smiling as he was congratulated by Lu Meng and a few other generals. "He'll become a great general".

Authors notes: please review, anybody


	4. Chapter 4 Betrayal

Notice: Please review!

Chapter 4 "Betrayal"

Get Sin slowly made his way back up the hill.

"Wow, that was pretty impressive, Lord Get Sin." Sun Shang Xiang called out, in a partly sarcastic tone. "Maybe you could teach Gan Ning a bit about fighting."

"Ha, I bet I'll have to teach him some strategy now,though." Gan Ning answered.

Before Get Sin could answer back, someone called for the attention of all the generals.

"Generals, I have an important announcement." It was Zhou Yu, standing in the center of the arena, talking in a commanding,and slightly arrogant, tone. "After many hours a deliberation. Sun Quan, Lu Su, and I have come to the conclusion that Cao Cao will not attack here. The main army is all ready on the move. Zhu Zhi, Taishi Ci, and Lu Meng will be stationed here with ten thousand men. The rest of us are to move out as soon as possible. We'll be heading for Chi Bi."

With that, he left, and the generals quickly dispersed to gather their valuables. Get Sin, with no valuables except for his sword and the clothes on his back, waited in the stables. Within ten minutes, the generals had gathered their possessions and were getting their horses ready.

"Maybe we can find you an extra horse in the stables" Sun Shang Xiang said to Get Sin, as she tied her chakrams to the side of her horse.

Gan Ning looked around, "I doubt it, they usually only keep enough horses in here for the generals. I could ask Sun Quan for one though."

"NO!" Huang Gai yelled out angrily. "Only the generals ride on horses. We cannot debase ourselves by allowing this...bodyguard, to be at the same eye level as us. Let him walk."

Gan Ning angrily raised his fist, and was about to answer, when Get Sin spoke. "It's alright. A little exercise never hurt anyone, it will help me stay in shape. Maybe some people should join me." His last comment was obviously directed at Huang Gai. And as Get Sin, followed by Gan Ning, Sun Shang Xiang and their horses, were leaving the stables he yelled back, "besides, I'd rather look at that horses backside than his ugly face."

Huang Gai almost charged his horse straight at Get Sin but he was checked by many of the other generals.

And so, their march began. It was then four hours past noon, they would not reach Chi Bi until dark. Get Sin walked in between his two friends, occasionally offered to ride on their horses but he rejected them every time. They moved slowly through the countryside, passing by many villagers, bowing their heads as the column of generals went by. The sun was setting, as they passed by village after village, farmland after farmland.

"I had read in many books, that the land of the south was still underdeveloped. That the land was covered only by forests and jungle. The northerners still seem to consider the southern land as barbarian. This land here looks nothing like what I have read." Get Sin said, as he surveyed the land.

"Yes, the land was underdeveloped. But my brother is not just a warlord, who only knows how to wage war. He also cares about the people, he has helped them to grow their food and find peace in an age of chaos."

"They say the land is developing so fast, that within the next fifty years the southland should be outproducing even the north." Gan Ning added.

Get Sin shifted his attention away from the countryside to the large carriage that rolled steadily in front of them. There was no movement in or out of the carriage, but there was the occasional screams of, 'oooo look at that!' and 'oh, sister, look at those flowers' that leaked out of the carriage.

"Who is in that carriage?" Get Sin asked.

"That's the Qiaos' carriage. There's Xiao Qiao, you've already kind of met her, and Da Qiao. Xiao is married to Zhou Yu, and Da was married to my late brother Sun Ce." Sun Shang Xiang stopped and looked down at the ground, as she was remembering something.

Get Sin saw this, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I've already decided to fight on in my brother's and father's memory. But Da has taken his passing kind of hard."

"I've been here for two years, and I haven't even met her yet." Gan Ning added. "But you have to meet her sister, she makes Shang Xiang look normal."

Sun Shang Xiang tried to slap him but the distance between the horses prevented her. After finally giving up, she called out towards the carriage. "Hey Xiao"

They heard a faint answer from inside the carriage, "Yeah."

"You guys wanna come out here for a while."

After a few seconds, an answer came. "Sure"

The carriage door flew open and a young girl popped out. She skipped over towards them.

"What about Da?" Sun Shang Xiang asked.

"She said she doesn't feel like it."

"Oh, ok. This is Get Sin, Get Sin this is Xiao Qiao."

"Hi."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you again."

"Again?"

"Yes, earlier today. I'm sorry if I startled you."

Xiao Qiao seemed to have forgotten the whole event. She stared blankly at Get Sin, until she suddenly saw a flower. With a high yelp, she ran over towards it.

"Xiao's just a little bit hyperactive." Sun Shang Xiang explained.

"haha. Hyperactive is an understatement." Gan Ning added.

As they talked Xiao Qiao snuck up behind Get Sin. All of a sudden, she jumped on Get Sin's back.

"Hey, can I have a piggyback ride!"

Get Sin was shocked by the sudden assault, and he almost, by reaction, threw the girl of his back. "I think it's a little late to be asking now."

"Weee, weee. Come on go faster. You'll be my royal horse from now on! But you have to make that clicking sound horses make...Come on!... Fine I'll do it. Kluk, Kluk. Kluk, Kluk." Right in the middle of her attempt to copy the sound of horse's footsteps, she suddenly lost interest. Jumping off, she took Get Sin's sword out of his sheath.

Sun Shang Xiang looked back, saw this, and almost fell off her horse.

"No! Xiao put that sword down right now! Before you hurt yourself."

She reached for the blade but Xiao Qiao held the blade closely to her chest, as if she were protecting a teddy bear from a bully. Shaking her head, with her eyes closed tight.

"It's ok, Shang Xiang." Get Sin interrupted.

"She's not allowed to hold very sharp objects, ever since that incident."

"I was just trying to help Yu shave."

"Yeah, with his sword! You were two inches from slitting his throat."

"She won't be able to hurt herself with that sword."

They looked back to see Xiao Qiao already testing the sword. She was hitting the blade to her stomach, pretending to be fighting someone. Then she stabbed the sword under her arm, and pretended to die. She eventually lost interest in that as well. She occupied herself with many different things until, out of nowhere, she laid down on a patch of grass and went to sleep. Get Sin carried her back into the carriage, where he saw the sleeping form of Da Qiao in the carriage.

They reached Chi Bi a few hours after dark, the exhausted generals immediately went to sleep. The very next day Cao Cao and his army, rumored to be in the millions, made camp across the great river. Liu Bei also brought his wandering army, along with his strategist Zhuge Liang, to Chi Bi. Wu and Shu formed their alliance, but tension between the two forces filled the air. For the next two weeks, Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang fought a war of stratagems, with Cao Cao and his army as the victims. Each of them, thought up clever ploys, trying to best each other. As the two fought each other for title of supreme strategist in the land, the generals and soldiers were left to wait uneasily till the fateful battle.

Get Sin, Sun Shang Xiang, and Gan Ning stayed together the whole time. They became a sort of "in" crowd in the kingdom of Wu. They always had fun, doing anything. Get Sin was not the prankster or the big, happy drinker like Gan Ning, but he seemed to emit an air of joy around him, that made everyone happy. The more Sun Shang Xiang stayed with him, the better friends they became. Many younger generals yearned to be around the three, joining them in whatever activity they could.

(Sun Shang Xiang's POV)

I can't take this anymore. These last two weeks have been horrible. Sitting here waiting, thinking an attack could come at any time. This upcoming battle will be huge and this, calm before the storm, is ridiculous. Adding to that, everyday we're in camp with these men from Shu, the situation gets worse. There has been five fights between soldiers of the two armies in the last three days, alone. This tension is going to drive me crazy, or maybe even worse, it may give me wrinkles!

I would have gone mad already, had it not been for Gan Ning and Get Sin. If you thought Ning was enough fun to keep your mind of things, wait till you add his brother. Get Sin, is much the same as Ning, he makes everyone around him happy. He is also, very kind and considerate of others. We have become very good friends in this time. The two of them take my mind of the coming battle and war, at least during the day. I find it hard, though, in this time, to sleep at night or be alone with my thoughts.

I am worried about something else though. Neither my brother nor Zhou Yu, have even met Get Sin yet, and many of the older generals still show their distrust in him. I hope that their unfriendliness does not push Get Sin out of Wu.

(3rd person POV)

Huang Gai's deception plan had been set in motion. Everything was set to go whenever Zhou Yu gave the command. A meeting was called and all the allied generals were to attend.

Gan Ning, Get Sin, and Sun Shang Xiang came in last. There was a large rectangular table, at the head, Sun Quan sat with Zhou Yu standing beside him. Their were two men behind him that were unrecognizable, and all the generals were already seated around the table.

Gan Ning and Sun Shang Xiang took their seats and just as Get Sin was about to take a seat Zhou Yu called out.

"Only generals are aloud to take seats, you must stand!"

Their were a few snickers from around the table, and Get Sin only quietly nodded his head and took a step back behind Gan Ning.

"Now, if we can begin." Sun Quan said, in his usual commanding voice.

"Yes", Zhou Yu began, "we called you generals here to inform you of a most fortunate event. We have received two defectors from Cao Cao's camp." The two men, behind Sun Quan, came forward. "These men are Cai Zhong and Cai He, we hope that they can teach us many things about our enemy."

The interrogation went on for a while. Nothing very important was discovered, only a few basic troop formations and sizes.

"That is enough for today, I am assigning the two of you to Gan Ning's command." Zhou Yu called over a few guards to escort them to Gan Ning's head quarters.

Get Sin waited till they had left and then spoke up. "My lord, Zhou Yu I do not bel..."

"If we wanted the opinion of useless bodyguards, we'd ask for it." Zhou Yu interrupted. "That's enough talk for today, your all dismissed. Except for you Get Sin, I wish to speak with you."

Gan Ning and Sun Shang Xiang were pushed out of the tent but they watched the conversation, just out of hearing range, through the tent opening. They watched the changes in Get Sin's expression as Zhou Yu spoke to him. His faced changed from his normal expression to one of confusement and thought. As Zhou Yu spoke on, he actually started to nod his head to what Zhou Yu was saying. Then without warning he became completely angry. He walked quickly away from Yu, throwing the tent flaps open as he left. Gan Ning and Sun Shang Xiang tried to stop him but he just kept walking, angrily cursing both Zhou Yu and Sun Quan.

He went back to Gan Ning's headquarters. Not even noticing Cai Zhong and Cai He, he walked over to a few bags, still muttering curses aimed at the strategist and his lord. Cai Zhong made a slight signal to Cai He, then stood up. "My lord, may we ask if anything is wrong?"

Without even looking at them, or stopping what he was doing he talked back. "Stupid pretty boy strategist and his cowardly lord, they wouldn't know true talent if it hit them in the face. They will regret the disgraces they have caused me this day."

"I hope it is not too forward to say this, my Lord. But our former lord Cao Cao respects true talent and would treat you like a king. He would gladly receive you."

Get Sin stopped and stood up. He was staring at the ground, thinking. His eyes stared at the same spot as he whispered to himself, "This is and opportunity sent down from heaven." He looked at the two men, and with a smile asked, "tell me more about this Cao Cao."

Gan Ning's bio: (I thought I might add this section because the Gan Ning in this story is a bit different than the on in the game. If you don't like Gan Ning or just don't care, feel free just to skip this section) Gan Ning is my favorite historical character in the world (Justinian and Han Wudi come in 2nd and 3rd), and so I know just about as much as humanly possible about him. I am actually in the process of learning Chinese, mostly so that I can one day visit his temple in China and maybe find a copy of his memoirs. Anyway, I don't really like the way Gan Ning is portrayed in the game, as a stupid, drunken, ex-pirate. In history as well as the novel, Gan Ning was also quite intelligent. He is considered one of the multi-talented generals of the age. Often compared, in that sense, with the generals Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao. Gan Ning, after his change of heart and decision to stop his marauding band, read the classics and many other books for two years. He then decided to join Sun Ce but him and some 100 men that joined him were stopped by Liu Biao and forced into service. Some of his strategic accomplishments are, his raid on Cao Cao's camp at He Fei, his help in the battle of Nanjun(you'll see later in the story), his false defection ploy at Chi Bi that forced Cao Cao into retreat (after Huang Gai's fire attack Cao Cao wanted to just fall back and regroup, but he retreated to find his main camp burned to the ground by Gan Ning and an ambush waiting for him), and his prediction of the empire's spilt into three kingdoms, when he first joined Wu. One of my favorites, was the plan he and Zhou Yu came up with after the battle of Red Cliffs. They wanted to first attack Liu Bei before he could set himself up in Jing, then take Shu from Liu Zhang(many in Shu already wanted the Sun family to take control of their land), then with the Empire split in two they could have defeated Cao Cao. But Sun Quan, with Lu Su's advice did not allow it.

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	5. Chapter 5 The Battle of Chi Bi

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Chapter 5 "The Battle of Chi Bi"

Sun Shang Xiang awoke the next morning just before noon. She laid in her bed, eyes closed, but still sleeping. Unable to fall back asleep yet not ready to get up. She listened to the sounds around the camp. Their was a lot of commotion outside, but she was still too tired to care. Then she heard the soft murmuring of some of her guards outside. It got louder and louder as they came closer to the tent.

"I still can't believe he defected, have you heard anything about why he did."

"No, but you know about the way that lord Sun Quan and Zhou Yu have been treating him. I'm surprised he didn't try to kill them before he left."

"You don't think anything is going to happen to Lady Sun or Gan Ning, do you?"

"I don't think so. But Get Sin's defection has shaken the bond of trust that holds this kingdom together, I'm sure there will be repercussions for everyone here."

Sun Shang Xiang sprang up when she heard this. She listened even more intently now.

"I hope that this does not effect the troops in the..."

The guards speech started fade as they walked away from the tent. Sun Shang Xiang ran to look out, she saw her guards but they were too far away to call to. She quickly got dressed, and ran out to Get Sin's tent. She found no one there. She quickly dashed to find Gan Ning, he was still sleeping noisily. She woke him up and told him what she had heard. Together they ran back to Get Sin's tent. Still no one. They then decided to check in the main headquarters. They ran as fast as they could passing by soldiers arming themselves, as if they were going to a battle. Sun Shang Xiang and Gan Ning burst into the main tent without slowing down. Inside, all the generals were already there, Zhou Yu was standing just in front off them.

"Zhou Yu..." Sun Shang Xiang talked slowly in between breaths, "what has happened...where is Get Sin?"

"Get Sin has betrayed us, and defected over Cao Cao's forces"

"That is not possible!" Gan Ning quickly responded.

"Well he has already done it, so it must be possible!" Zhou Yu turned back to the generals. "That is why we must move out tonight. The plan must be executed as soon as possible, before Cao Cao can fully interrogate the traitor."

"Are you sure that we should still stick to the plan." Sun Quan asked.

"Yes, but it must be done tonight"

Gan Ning angrily turned around and stormed out of the tent. Sun Shang Xiang followed trying to calm him down, but she could not even get his attention. He walked back to his tent and laid down on his bed, to think about the events that had already occurred. So much had happened, and the day was not yet half over.

He stayed in his tent for a while. The sun was setting and the stars were preparing to come out. Sun Quan visited him and after a small talk walked off to prepare for the battle. Gan Ning decided to go for a walk. Men were everywhere, moving about, preparing their weapons and armor, loading boats, and many other things. He walked slowly, not really paying attention to where he was going. He passed by the armory tent, where large amounts of extra weapons were held, and saw someone inside practicing with a sword. He quietly walked in.

"What are you doing?"

The person, startled, quickly turned around hiding the blade behind their back. "Nothing...just... looking around."

"Come on, Shang Xiang. What are you planning."

"I said nothing." She answered back defensively. She quickly tried to change the subject. "So, are you ready for the battle tonight?"

"Actually, Sun Quan has ordered me to command the reserves, in the rear. It looks like Sun Quan has lost his trust in me. ...(sigh)...But, tell me, where will you be during the battle."

"Well, since you won't be in the fighting, maybe you could tell my brother that I was going to stay with you." She hoped that her last comment did not give herself away too much.

"No, No! I can't go along with this, this is too much!"

"Come on Ning. You've covered for me before."

"No, this is different! This isn't just a game to get you out of one of your etiquette classes, this is war! I can not let you go out there."

"Ning, remember when we first met. I was disguised as a soldier during the battle of Xiakou."

"Yeah, and I almost killed you"

"But you didn't. If I hadn't done that, we would never have met, and you would probably still be fighting for Huang Zu."

"But Shang Xiang, I already lost one..."

"NING! You know as well as I do that Get Sin would not have done this with his own free will. Something must have happened. That is all I want to find out. I just need to talk to him again. Please, this is for the both of us."

Gan Ning took in a deep breath, shook his head, and without answered he walked out of the tent.

Sun Shang Xiang stayed in the tent, practicing her swordsmanship. No soldier had ever fought with Chakrams, so she was stuck with these swords. She had used them before but never got very comfortable with them. Adding to that, the metal armor she had to wear, restricted her movements. But it had to be done. Once she was out there at least she could get rid of the armor. As she practiced she saw many soldiers start to run, as quietly as possible, towards the beach. It was time.

Sun Shang Xiang put the sword in its sheath, checked over her armor, and put on the heavy metal helmet. She ran outside and joined a group of soldiers. They made their way to the beach, and all the soldiers filed into hundreds of small assault ships. And as soon as they were full, the ships were pushed out into the water. Sun Shang Xiang had found a spot in a boat, as close to the middle as she could get. The boat took her out onto the river, some 30 paces by her guess, and stopped. She stuck her head up over the side of the boat to look over the battlefield.

First, she looked down the line of Wu ships. There must have been about 500 hundred lightly armored assault ships, holding about 50 troops, 20 rowing and 30 preparing to fight. The ships were kept back so they were out of sight from the enemies across the river. Farther out, almost right in the middle of the river, she saw Huang Gai's fleet of fire ships, cleverly disguised as supply ships. Huang Gai, hopefully, would get the ships close enough so that they could ram the large Wei ships, setting them instantly on fire. Shang Xiang, then looked across the river at the massive enemy fleet. The Wei ships were huge, and seemed to be making a box, as if to protect something in the middle. She guessed it must be Cao Cao on his ship in the center.

The wind started to blow stronger to the northwest, towards Cao Cao. Shang Xiang watched as the fire ships moved slowly towards Cao Cao's line. She waited, half in anticipation, half in fright for that fateful moment to come. The soldiers around her were breathing heavily, some were making last minute prayers to their ancestors, others held onto sacred objects hung around their neck or attached to their armor. She saw Huang Gai's boat get within speaking distance of Cao Cao's fleet. She held her breath and every soldier stopped and watched motionlessly, as if they had been turned to stone.

Suddenly, Huang Gai raised his arm, the signal to start the assault. The ships behind him raised their white sails and immediately sped off towards the fleet. Shang Xiang and the rest of the Wu army watched the space between the ships shrink. Then they reached that fateful moment that they had been preparing for. The fire ships collided with the fleet, followed instantly by a huge explosion of fire. Whole ships were immediately engulfed in flames, the rest were soon desperately trying to fight the flames coming on to their ship, a fight they could not win. Even from were she was she could hear the screams of those men still on fire, she could see them leaping from their burning ships still aflame.

From behind her, a large horn was blown, to signal the assault force to move forward and finish off what ships and men that were left. There was still much fighting to be done. The small assault ships raised their sails, and were off to engage the enemy. As they moved forward, the flames finally started to die down. Many ships were still left but, because of the flames, they had no way to fight off the boarding ships. Sun Shang Xiang's boat had fallen behind the rest of the line, and she was able to watch as the first few assault ships attach themselves to the Wei ships. Wu swordsman started to pour onto the enemy boats, engaging the Wei army in a bloody melee on top of these large ships.

Sun Shang Xiang found a whole in the Wei line that led into the center. She yelled out to the man steering their ship.

"There. Steer the boat through that opening."

"What? Are you crazy? Why would we want to go into the center of their fleet."

"Think about it. Who do you think their protecting in there? We could end this war right now by capturing him." The men started to think, not sure what to do. "Think of the honor we could gain by capturing him."

The man took the proposal and steered the ship towards the whole. They broke through the line and found a huge clearing behind it. And sure enough, there was Cao Cao's enormous ship. It was over 200 paces long, one end had already landed, while the other stuck out into the river. Many of the troops were already on land, retreating in and orderly fashion. She then looked to see if she could find Cao Cao. On the very front of the ship, the side still in the water, she saw a man sitting upon a snow white horse. That could only be Cao Cao. As they got closer, she could see more. It was Cao Cao on his horse, surrounded by a few guardsmen. In front of him stood three generals. She could not tell who two of them were but she knew third one.

She gasped when she realized who it was. "Get Sin", she said below her breath.

There he was standing with Cao Cao. He was still wearing his red robe, with his eyes fixed on the battle that was going on before them.

Sun Shang Xiang couldn't take her eyes off Get Sin. He was just standing there, and she started to think maybe he did betray them. She was shaken out of her daze, when she saw another ship, closer than they were, speeding towards Cao Cao. It was a small fire ship, and at its helm stood Huang Gai. He was guiding the ship completely by himself straight at Cao Cao. When Huang Gai got within bow range, Cao Cao barked an order to one of his generals. The general pulled out a bow and fitted it with an arrow. He took aim and released the string. The arrow shot through the sky, piercing into Huang Gai's shoulder. Huang Gai stumbled backward, then fell of the boat. With no one steering, the boat swerved around uncontrollably, just missing to the left of the ship. It ran harmlessly up onto the beach. Huang Gai was left floating in the water, and by some luck a small raft had been floating around and he was able to grab onto it. Shang Xiang turned her attention back to Get Sin.

Get Sin watched, with a small hint of satisfaction, as Zhang Liao's arrow hit it's mark. Huang Gai was still alive though, holding on desperately to the small raft, slowly flowing downstream. But before Cao Cao could give the order to finish him off, their attention was diverted elsewhere. A small ship had broken through the disintegrating Wei fleet. It was one of the small assault ship manned by only about 50 men. It came straight towards them.

"Xu Zhu, take care of them." Cao Cao ordered his extremely large bodyguard.

Get Sin knew the only reason that Xu Zhu was there was to watch over him. Cao Cao did not trust him just yet. But that did not matter, with the arrival of this new ship, he found his chance to prove his true loyalty. As the ship came forward, he prepared himself for the battle to come. He clenched his knuckles and unclipped his sword, so he can easily pull it out when the time came.

The small boat attached itself to Cao Cao's ship. But before any of the troops could get out the large form of a man jumped at them. It was Xu Zhu, wielding his large mace. His first swing almost broke through the whole boat, and the rest of his swings where even more deadly for the troops on board.

Get Sin set his plan in motion. He quietly back away from the front of the boat, as Cao Cao, Zhang Liao, and the guards were distracted. He brought himself behind Cao Cao, unsheathing his sword he started to slowly approach him. He looked over at the battle on the small boat, Xu Zhu had killed everyone on the boat except for the one small soldier that was desperately trying to dodge the large mace. Get Sin sent his apologies to the soldier but he believed he had something much more important to do. He was now right behind Cao Cao. He grabbed the back of Cao Cao's cloak with his left hand and with the other he slapped the backside of the horse. The horse shot forward but Cao Cao was pulled of the horse and Get Sin's blade was quickly put to his throat. The guards quickly reacted pointing their spears toward Get Sin but not daring to move. Zhang Liao, with bow still in hand, fitted another arrow and pointed it at Get Sin.

"What are you doing Get Sin!" Zhang Liao yelled as he kept his aim at Get Sin's head.

"I'm doing something that should have been done years ago. I'm going to kill this traitor."

"If you do that Get Sin, you will die here as well."

"If I am able to rid the world of this man withmy sacrifice, I would consider it an honorable death."

"Don't do it Get Sin, it isn't worth it."

"Why do you serve him Zhang Liao, why do you fight for this man! He has betrayed the Empire, he has manipulated the emperor, and if he is left alive he will bring down the house of Han!"

"GET SIN! HE IS MY LEIGE! I owe him my loyalty."

"Bah. In this day and age, blind loyalty gets men nowhere!"

"And neither does death!" The two were stuck, not knowing what to do next. Then Zhang Liao realized something that he had forgotten about. He turned his bow around and pointed it down toward the water. "Get Sin, I don't like to do this but I will if I must. If you do not release Cao Cao, Huang Gai will receive another arrow, and I assure you he will not survive this one."

Get Sin was shocked by the new deal, he had forgotten Huang Gai was still floating on that raft. Now he was really stuck.

"Now, you are not just sacrificing yourself but Huang Gai as well." Zhang Liao continued. "You have my word that if you release Cao Cao, both you and Huang Gai will live. Then the two of us can fight unhampered, to decide who will be victor this day."

Get Sin remained completely still. He had no clue what he should do now. Finally, he pulled his sword away and released Cao Cao. Cao Cao immediately went and retrieved his horse and with his guards behind, started his retreat. Zhang Liao threw away his bow and picked up his long halberd. The two stood across from each other, weapons drawn, ready for any offensive move possible.

Get Sin broke his stare at Zhang Liao to look and see where Xu Zhu was. To his surprise, he found Xu Zhu still fight the lone soldier. What he saw next left him flabbergasted. The soldier had lost his helmet, and he realized it was not a him at all. He gasped, as he said in a low voice, "Shang Xiang."

Zhang Liao saw the emotions in Get Sin's face as he saw who the soldier was. They both watched as a huge swing from Xu Zhu broke through the floor of the small boat, sending Sun Shang Xiang flying into the water. With that heavy armor on they both knew she could not stay afloat for long. He knew then that they could not fight that day. Zhang Liao backed out of his fighting stance and held his halberd loosely in his hand. "Get Sin, I have kept my word, and the village is still safe. You have saved it, now you must go and save her."

Without even waiting for an answer Zhang Liao walked over to the two horses still tied to a part of the ship. He got on his horse and left. As he went, Get Sin thanked him beneath his breath, "Thank you, Zhang Liao. You are an honorable man in an army of grunts and savages." With that Get Sin quickly turned around and dashed towards the end of the boat. But there he met Xu Zhu, who had just climbed back onto the boat.

"Oh, thank the heavens. When I saw you betray my lord, I was hoping to have my chance to kill you" Xu Zhu yelled, as he prepared himself for battle.

Get Sin did not answer, he only prepared for the duel. Xu Zhu charged with his large mace and the fight began. 15 bouts went by with no thought of a victor. 20 bouts, 30 bouts and still nothing. Get Sin dodged for his life and struck with all the power he could muster. Some of his blows made contact with soft flesh, but his sword was unable to penetrate the large layer of blubber, denying him of any fatal blows. The large mace Xu Zhu wielded blew threw anything in its way. Get Sin used all his ability to dodge, yet he still received many hard knocks. The battle went on up to 40 bouts. Both Get Sin and Xu Zhu saw their time running out. Get Sin knew Sun Shang Xiang couldn't stay up for long, and Xu Zhu saw that the Wei forces were retreating and more and more Wu ships were breaking through the line.

They both simultaneously decided that they would make one final attack. They eyed each other before they both charged. Xu Zhu used all his strength and swung his gigantic mace at the man in front of him. He swung so hard, the mace went straight through the floor of the boat, but it still was unable to come into contact with its target. Get Sin had jumped up just before the blow. Twirling and flipping through the air, he passed over Xu Zhu upside down, his head only a foot above Xu Zhu. As he passed over, he brought his blade down on the object beneath him.

Without even stopping to look back he landed and ran straight towards the front of the boat. He reached it just in time to see Sun Shang Xiang go under. He quickly took off his robe and stopped long enough to hear a large object behind him crash not only through the first floor but also the second. Then, with little time left, he jumped in the water. He broke through water's surface, fishing out Sun Shang Xiang who had already sunk many feet down. He quickly swam up pulling her behind him. He reached the surface and desperately swam for the beach. It took him a while but he was finally able to carry Sun Shang Xiang onto the ground.

Laying her down on the sand, he leaned over her. "Shang Xiang! Shang Xiang! Come on, please wake up!" He slapped her lightly on the cheek until she finally started to cough.

He eyes finally opened, only a little bit but at least he knew she was alive. Get Sin was still hovering over her. She slowly moved her left hand, reaching it up around his head. He did not know what he should do so he just let what happens happen. She slowly pulled his head down closer to hers. They were so close that she could feel his heavy breathes, they moved her wet hair ever so slightly. They stayed there for a moment, staring into each others eyes. Get Sin had no idea what was happening. Sun Shang Xiang finally brought up her right hand and stopped it just a short space away from his cheek. She finally summoned up all the strength she had left and then...'SMACK'. She slapped him. He was completely taken by surprise, and it took him a while to regain his focus. He looked back at her to find that she had fainted. He smiled down at her, as he picked up her head up out of the sand. He understood what this whole ordeal must have done to her, but he knew from here on out everything was going to be all right.

Please Review


	6. Chapter 6 The Chase

Please Review about anything

Chapter 6 "The Chase"

Time was not a factor anymore. Get Sin had no idea how long they sat on the beach for, it didn't matter. He forgot about the battle or Cao Cao, he sat there holding the unconscious Sun Shang Xiang in his lap. He gently brushed her wet hair out of her face as he contemplated the emotions he was feeling. Emotions he had never felt before. It was similar to the feelings he had felt for his family and close friends, but it was something different, something more. He was finally shaken out of his thoughts, finally, by a low, hoarse voice from behind him.

"Is she still alive?"

Get Sin turned around to see the disheveled Huang Gai, completely soaked, with one hand holding the wound on his shoulder, were the arrow was still sticking out.

"Yeah, she's fine. How are you, you look like crap."

Huang Gai looked down at the arrow. He grasped it tightly with his hand, and with one quick jerk pulled out the arrow. He let out a stifled grunt as the blood started to squirt out of the wound again. "I'm fine. That woman is going to get us all killed one day."

Get Sin smiled as he looked down back at Sun Shang Xiang

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for leaving that raft out there. I would have sunk like a rock, if it hadn't been there."

"No problem, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything about that arrow though."

"Shoot! That reminds me. Which way did Cao Cao go?"

"Your going after him?"

"Of course, this battle isn't over yet, we can still get him."

"I can't let you go! Look at you! Besides the whole Wei army knows of your false defection, but only a few know of mine." Without waiting for an answer, Get Sin stood up, still holding Sun Shang Xiang in his arms, and gave her to Huang Gai. He took one last look at Sun Shang Xiang then turned around. He started to walk slowly in the direction Cao Cao went.

"Wait, Get Sin!" Huang Gai yelled, as Get Sin turned around. "I...I have misjudged you. I have dishonored myself, by not accepting you for who you are."

"Don't worry about."

Before Get Sin could leave Huang Gai stopped him again. "You aren't going after Cao Cao on foot are you? I think its best, for a general of Wu, to ride on a horse." Huang Gai pointed towards the lone horse, still tied to the ship.

Get Sin gave him a slight smile, "I also think that's a good idea."

(Elsewhere)

Cao Cao, Zhang Liao, and his small guard, met up with a few thousand survivors. Together they started to flee back to Wei. They kept retreating, without looking back, until they had gone more than 20 li (1000 paces). They stopped to rest in a small clearing, only to be ambushed by Zhou Tai, Lu Meng, and several thousand Wu troops. Cao Cao was able to break through the lines with a few hundred horsemen and Zhang Liao. After falling back another 10 li, Cao Cao stopped again, in another clearing surrounded by forest and mountains, accept for two passages on opposite sides of the area.

Zhang Liao eyed the forest suspiciously. "Are you sure we should stop, my lord?"

Cao Cao began to laugh, "hahahaha. The fools! Had they really wanted to capture me, this would have been the perfect place for an ambush."

"My lord, I don't think you should tempt fate, that was exactly what you did at the last clearing and look what happened."

"Don't worry so much, Zhang Liao. Those morons Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang are no match for my wit, compared to me they..."

Cao Cao couldn't even finish, before someone yelled at them.

"YOU FOOL!"

They turned to see Get Sin coming towards them. He was sitting on top of Xu Zhu's horse, going at a full gallop. His Immediately following Get Sin's shout, the forest around them seemed to start yelling. Hundreds of both Wu and Shu swordsmen, suddenly sprang out of the forest and charged toward them. Cao Cao's horsemen spread out to intercept the enemy and protect their lord. Get Sin's eyes were focused on Cao Cao, as he cut down two horsemen that got in his way. He made his way into the center, stopping just inside speaking distance with Cao Cao and Zhang Liao.

"This isn't finished yet, Cao Cao."

"Get Sin, I took you in, respected you, provided for you, why have you deceived me."

"So, you really did forget, didn't you."

"Forget what."

"What you tried to do to me!" Get Sin removed the glove, he started to wear the day before, on his left hand, showing Cao Cao the mark on his palm. Cao Cao's eyes widened when he saw it. "Now you remember, don't you! You tried to use me in your devilish schemes, you tried to have me killed. But worst of all, you tried to kill all those innocent people, it is for that reason you must die!"

Get Sin's eyes narrowed on Cao Cao, like those of a tiger that had eyed his prey. He pushed the horse forward, and it soon reached top speed. Everything became a blur to him, except for the clear image of Cao Cao getting closer and closer. His blade in hand, he kept charging forward, not paying attention to anything else around him. He had almost reached his target, he started to bring his sword down on his prey. All of a sudden, there was a flash of red and green in front of him. Something blocked his sword and sent him and his horse back. He fell back, his eyes slowly started to regain its vision. He didn't understand what he saw.

"You. But wh...ho...what are you doing!"

Author's Notes: I actually just realized that I never fully described Get Sin. He's not a bald man with completely white eyes, he has short dark brown hair and brown eyes (there I fixed it that bugged me all weekend). This was a short, kind of boring, chapter. And i couldn't keep up with my writing schedule. Anyway, the next couple of chapters should contain the starting of the romantic relationships before I get into some more battles. Oh yeah, and please review.


	7. Chapter 7 Party Tonight

AN: Sorry this chapter took a while. Its finals time, and i had two very large term papers due this week and next week doesn't look any better. Your lucky I'm so lazy or I would actually be studying for my finals rather than writing these stories. Please, if anyone is out there please leave a review.

Chapter 7 "Party Tonight"

Sun Shang Xiang awoke, lying in her bed. She could tell it was just before noon, by the amount of light that was entering the tent through the open flaps. Her first thought was that the whole night before had just been a dream, but at she watched the troops passing by she saw many wounded or already dead soldiers being carried around. She quickly sat up, causing a pain in her head from sitting up to fast. She went through all of last night's events, in the matter of seconds. She heard the sound of liquid being drunk and turned her head towards the sound. There she found Gan Ning, a large jug of what smelled like wine in his hand.

"What...What happened last night? How did the battle go?" Shang Xiang asked as calmly as he could.

"Your asking me what happened in the battle?"

"Yes" Shang Xiang answered partly annoyed by Gan Ning's first answer.

"Well let's see. First, I went back to the troops...then...I stole two large jugs of wine from the supply tent and drank them by myself under a large tree. After that, I went and did a little gambling with a few of the troops. And as the night went on, I started to hit a tree with my sword because I was so freaking bored!"

"Oh yeah, sorry. I forgot." She started to remember more clearly what happened in the battle. "Wait! Where's Get Sin, what happened to him?"

"I saw him go into Sun Quan's tent earlier today, and I don't know what happened because the guards won't even let me close enough to hear what's happening."

"I'll take care of them" Sun Shang Xiang threw of her blankets and realized someone had changed her clothes. She looked straight at Gan Ning.

"What...oh, don't even look at me I blacked out after the battle and had nothing to do with it. Besides I wouldn't want to undress you in the first place."

Before Shang Xiang could slap him or make a response, he was already out the door. She quickly followed him. They made their way towards Sun Quan's tent. As they approached, the guards saw them and immediately knew what they wanted. The only guard with the...guts...to try and stop them, stepped forward.

"um...Ex...Excuse me, but Lord Sun Quan told us..."

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" The fiery Wu princess yelled.

"You got it." The guard immediately stood aside.

Shang Xiang burst into the tent. "What the hell is going on in here!"

The first person she saw in their was Get Sin, standing in the center. He looked like he had been to hell and back. His robe was almost completely covered in either mud or blood, you couldn't really even tell the difference any more, and had several slashes in it. Get Sin looked extremely tired, his hair was disheveled and greasy, and his face was cut and bruised. Her brother sat in a large chair with Zhou Yu at his side.

"Ahh, dear sister. Your awake, and just in time as well. I was going to send for you but I knew you would come."

"Would somebody just tell us what happened?" Shang Xiang asked.

Sun Quan sat back, "Zhou Yu."

"Get Sin's defection was a ploy."

"A ploy? But why?"

"We knew that Cao Cao did not fully believe in Huang Gai's defection. We needed someone else inside to support him and convince Cao Cao that it was true. That is where Get Sin came in. I knew Get Sin would not betray us, at least not to Cao Cao. Even though he hasn't told us his story, I guessed that Cao Cao must have been the cause behind that mark on his palm. He tried to use you in one of his schemes, didn't he? Anyway, Cao Cao must have forgotten about Get Sin and only saw him as a new general who had not yet showed much loyalty and thought he was a possible defection. Sun Quan and I added to that by disrespecting Get Sin. And so Cao Cao sent Cai Zhong and Cai He to try and convince Get Sin to defect. With all our trust now in Get Sin, we sent them right to him."

"But...How...I still...don't..." Sun Shang Xiang stuttered.

Sun Quan stopped his puzzled younger sister, "Maybe it will be easier to understand if we heard the whole story. Get Sin, you have showed your loyalty and you have our trust, you have no need to hide your past now."

Get Sin hesitated, he looked down at the ground and stayed silent.

Sun Shang Xiang saw that her friend didn't want to speak, "It's ok, we don't need..."

She was stopped as Get Sin raised his hand. "Don't worry...I'm fine. I'm sorry but I still can't tell you the whole story. But I will tell you some of it. I was being held in Chang An for a minor crime, when Cao Cao came back from the North to fight with Ma Chao. He suffered a major defeat and from what I heard he lost solely to the fact that he didn't have enough supplies. So, he came up with a scheme, he took me out of jail and forced me take the job as chief supplier of the whole army, a job he had taken himself. He then had me arrested and sentenced to be executed."

"Wait! I don't get it why would he do all this?" Gan Ning asked.

"He just lost a major battle because of one of his mistakes. To keep the moral of his army high, he needed a scapegoat. Who better to get than a convict from the local prison." Zhou Yu answered.

"Why did you agree to this Get Sin?" Shang Xiang asked.

"I had no choice. Cao Cao may be an evil man but he is very thorough in his schemes. Before I was arrested I had been living in a small peaceful village. When he found out about this he went and kidnapped the village elder. He told me if i did not accept he would kill the elder then he would send the army to destroy the village. When the day of the execution came, his headquarters were attacked by Ma Chao and I was able to escape. I ran as far as I could with Cao Cao's army on my tail, until I made it to the river. The same river that you guys found me."

"Is that the whole story" Sun Quan asked, he waited for Get Sin to nod. " I see no wrongs in your past, why did you not just tell us before?"

Get Sin hesitated again, he took a deep breath and looked towards the ground. "The village elder he...Cao Cao killed him. I could have done something but I didn't, I froze in fear. I was able too save the village with help from Zhang Liao, but the damage was already done. I knew I could not return to my home and my life was already ruined. Had you guys not found me first I would have killed myself...I guess i was just ashamed." Get Sin remained silent from there on, he looked sadly down at the mark on his hand.

Sun Quan saw Get Sin's emotions and motioned for everyone to leave. "Please, leave us. There is still much I have left to discuss with Get Sin."

Zhou Yu moved, pushing Sun Shang Xiang and Gan Ning out of the room with him. Shang Xiang backed out slowly not taking her eyes off Get Sin. As they moved outside the tent she started to remember more events from the night before.

"Wait! I remember now. Get Sin saved me when I fell in the water. But then I fainted, what happened after that."

"I'm not completely sure." Zhou Yu answered. "I heard that, after you fainted Get Sin handed you over to Huang Gai, while he went after Cao Cao."

"He went alone?"

"Yes, and he caught up with him too. We're not sure what happened after that but from what we have gathered Guan Yu stopped him before he could reach Cao Cao."

"Guan Yu?"

"Yeah, I know. By the time Zhao Yun and I got there they were already going at it pretty good."

"Get Sin fought with Guan Yu." Gan Ning added.

"By the looks of it they must have been fighting for a long time too. Get Sin could barely hold himself up and I swear I saw Guan Yu was breathing much harder then normal."

"But why would Guan Yu protect Cao Cao?"

"We don't know. When Zhao Yun tried to get an answer from Guan Yu he just remained silent. And the only thing we got from Get Sin was some low mumbling about some debt. But we shouldn't bother Get Sin anymore, he has had a very rough night. You guys should probably leave him along, at least until tonight." Zhou Yu turned and started to walk away.

"Wait, whats happening tonight?" Shang Xiang asked.

Zhou Yu turned back towards them. "What! Are you guys kidding me. We won a very important battle last night. Theres going to be a party tonight!"

(Later that Day)

Get Sin walked quietly down the palace halls. He had finally received rest, some nourishment, and a new set of clothes. He felt much better now. His rage had subsided, allowing him to return back to himself. He walked alone down the dark hall, his mind in a sort of peaceful bliss. That was all gone in a flash, as he heard someone yelling in a room, just a few steps to his right.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE! HOW DARE YOU MOCK ME, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"

No answer came. Get Sin, full of curiosity, put his ear up to the door.

"I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU, YOUR NOT THE BOSS OF ME?" The sound of an object, being thrown across the room and breaking against the hall, could be clearly heard. Get Sin started to get a bit worried. "YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO DO. HEHEHEHE. I'M GOING TO CUT YOU UP. YES! HEHEHEHE. I'LL CUT YOU UP INTO SUCH SMALL STRIPS, KNOW ONE WILL EVEN BE ABLE TO KNOW WHAT YOU WERE."

Get Sin couldn't stop himself now. He rushed into the room. "WAIT! Don't do it!"

It took him a few seconds to take in the scene in front of him. Sun Shang Xiang stood there with a knife in her hand, ready to strike down the object on the chair in front of her. Upon further inspection, the object on the chair turned out to be a long, red, silk dress.

Shang Xiang tried to hide the knife behind her, as she put on a big fake smile. "Hey, Sin. How's it going? You look better."

Get Sin didn't even acknowledge that she talked. He walked over to the dress, picking it up and inspecting it, making sure what he saw was true. He stood there, a confused look on his face, as his eyes looked around the room. "...um...er...wha...what are you doing?"

"Nothing" Shang Xiang answered back, as innocently as she could make it. "Just have a talk with myself." Get Sin gave her a questionable look. "You know, I was just...just...just trying to encourage myself."

"Come on Shang Xiang. I know I'm new here, but I think I should know what the heck is going on."

"Fine! I just look horrible in a dress."

"What?"

"You heard me. Dresses make me look weird, and I hate them!"

"Come on Shang Xiang, are you serious?" She looked down at her feet, a sad expression came on to her face. "I'm sure you'll look beautiful no matter what you put on."

This comment made Sun Shang Xiang lift her head up and look at Get Sin. He was looking over the dress and she realized he had not been kidding. Beautiful, did he really say beautiful, her heart had skipped a beat when he said that. There eyes locked on one another, and neither of them new what to say next.

They stood there for a moment, neither of them saying anything. When, all of a sudden, the door quickly opened. Gan Ning came in, his arms holding tightly onto a large jug, and he slammed the door behind him. He raised his hand, to ensure that the two in the room kept quiet. They heard the sound of light footsteps run by.

After a while, Gan Ning finally spoke. "Hey Get Sin, welcome back." Gan Ning saw the dress in his hand. "I don't think that will fit you"

"Hey Ning, how was your day on the rear end of the army?"

The three of them laughed together, just as they had done so many times before the battle of Chi Bi.

"Hey, I was able to find a jug of exquisite wine. Shall thee partake with me?" Gan Ning asked, trying to sound like some kind of royalty. "I had to run away from Xiao for this baby, she gets so serious about those party rules she made up."

"What rules?" Get Sin asked.

"Xiao is our kingdoms party planner and she is very good at it. She made up some rules for her parties, with the biggest one being that there is to be NO drinking before the wine is served. She has come close to castrating Gan Ning many times." Sun Shang Xiang answered.

"Well she hasn't been successful yet. So, will you join me?"

Get Sin and Sun Shang Xiang both started to leave. "I don't think so. I'd prefer not to go down in history as the first Eunuch to be killed by a young girl less then a day after surviving a huge battle." Get Sin answered as he shut the door. The two then walked together to prepare themselves for the party and, more importantly, the other events that were to happen that night.

A: OK, please leave a review. You don't even have to write much, anything is fine. Just please review. You can just write your favorite color or your favorite number, anything.

Get Sin: Look how desperate he's getting. Its so sad. That Chapter wasn't even that long.

A: Oh, shut up. Your not the one who's head is about to explode. Or maybe you are. MUAHAHAHA

Get Sin: Oh Please, for god's sake leave a review! I WANT TO LIVE!


	8. Chapter 8 New Feelings

Chapter 8 "New Feelings"

Get Sin made his way toward the main banquet hall. The party was to begin soon and most of the generals were all ready there. Passing by a window, he looked out upon the long expanse of grassland, now covered by thousands of soldiers and their camps. Food and wine had been distributed among the army, and the soldiers were all sitting around campfires, engaged in lively celebrations. Many were dancing and singing, others were just sitting around talking, but it was clear that everyone was happy.

He finally made it to the banquet hall. The two guards greeted him then opened the large doors. He walked into the huge chamber. Hundreds of officers were already there, no matter what their rank, all officers were invited. Many small tables were placed around the room, each sat about 10 officers each. In the center of the room there was a large table where all the great officers of Wu sat. The party hadn't quite started yet, there was food but no wine, and what kind of party is it without wine.

The guards led him to his chair. He was seated close to the end of the table, with Sun Quan, sitting at the head of the table, just to his left, and to his right sat Sun Shang Xiang. Across from him there was an empty chair, Xiao Qiao sat next to that, and then, what he guessed, next to Xiao sat her sister Da.

"Hey Sin"

"Welcome General Get Sin"

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Get Sin answered, he looked down and saw that Shang Xiang was wearing her red silk dress, and it flattered her greatly. "So, I see you went with that dress after all."

"Yeah, well it was too late to find anything else to wear."

"See Shang Xiang, I told you you'll find someone who thought you looked good in a dress." Xiao Qiao added from across the table.

"XIAO!"

"Geez, calm down, I was only kidding. Hey Sin, you kind of scared us the other day, you better not ever try something like that again."

"Sorry Xiao, but I got to do what I got to do."

"Uh-huh. Oh, and this is my sister Da Qiao, Da this is Get Sin."

"Hello, it's nice to finally meet you Lady Da Qiao."

"Yes, it's nice to meet you as well General Get Sin. I have heard of your exploits in the battle of Chi Bi, you were a great asset to our victory."

"Please, I was just following orders."

"That reminds me" Sun Quan continued, "In light of your recent achievements, I'm promoting you Get Sin to full fledged General. You'll receive the rank of 3rd General of the West and will command a force of 1000 men."

"Wow, Get Sin that was pretty quick. 2 weeks here and your already a general, that's quite impressive."

"Thank you Sun Quan, but I must decline for now."

"If that is what you wish, but may I ask why?"

"I would like to stay under Gan Ning's command, at least for a little while longer."

"Ok. Speaking of which, where is Ning?"

It was at that moment that Gan Ning entered the hall. He walked slowly, as if he was completely concentrating on something. He sat down in his seat next to Da, and, same as the person next, stared down at his plate.

"What's wrong with him?" Get Sin whispered to Shang Xiang.

"He's probably already drunk, and now he has to try an save his life by not looking like he is."

Zhou Yu then entered the hall. He walked, in a strange manner, to his seat across from Get Sin.

"What's goin on everybody, where's the party at?" He bent down kissing Xiao Qiao on the cheek. Xiao immediately smiled and blushed, she loved it when Zhou Yu showed his affection for her in public, she failed to realize, or didn't want to realize, that he was already half drunk. "Is everyone here?"

Xiao looked around, "I think everyone is here."

"Alright, let's get this party started!"

Zhou Yu clapped his hands, and the whole hall erupted with activity. The large doors opened, and hundreds of entertainers, dancers, and servants came in. Music started and servants passed out large goblets of wine.

The party went on for two hours, and it was still as lively as it began. Xiao Qiao and Sun Shang Xiang made rounds with the servants. They walked around making sure everyone was happy, they filled goblets and made everyone dance at least once.

"I think somebody here wanted Cao Cao to live." Taishi Ci said mockingly towards Lu Meng.

"I'm just saying that I've heard many stories about Cao Pi and they make it sound like he's even worse then his father." Lu Meng tried to defend himself.

Lu Xun came to the aid of his teacher, "Our informants in the North tell us that if Cao Pi is allowed to replace Cao Cao he will almost definitely abdicate the throne."

"Hey Get Sin, you were once up north, what do you think of Cao Pi." Taishi Ci asked.

Get Sin, had been laughing with Lu Su, as they watched Xiao Qiao and Sun Shang Xiang both desperately trying to get Huang Gai to dance. He looked over towards them, "Well, I never met Cao Pi, but if he's anything like his brother, we should be protecting Cao Cao rather than trying to kill him. But what are you guys talking about, this is a party, who cares about that stuff right now."

"Yeah, I guess your right. Hehehehe, look." Taishi Ci pointed towards the end of the table were Gan Ning, in his extremely drunken state, was talking to a young female servant. "Your drunken brother, trying to get lucky with one of the maids."

They watched as Gan Ning tried to talk to the maid. He was laughing as he made his comments. The woman was covering her mouth, laughing at the drunken man in front of her. They talked for a few more minutes, then he must have made an inappropriate comment, for he received a slap to his face. But the girl did not seem to be angry, instead she was still laughing. Gan Ning continued as if nothing had happened. It did not take long till he received two more slaps to each side of his face. He fell over, not so much from the slaps, but more from the large amount of wine in him. The girl walked away still laughing, but this time you could clearly see the shade of red overcome her face.

Sun Quan had been watching the scene as well. "Shang Xiang, I think you should take your friend to his room before he gets himself hurt."

Gan Ning quickly stood up and tried to defend himself, but he could barely keep himself standing and every one of his words were slurred. "Wait! Wait! I'm not drunk. I'm just...tired and...I have a really bad speech impediment. Hehehehe. Impedident...imp...impedilent...hehehe...imped...impedid. HEY! HEEEEEY! TAI! TAAAAI!"

Zhou Tai who had been sitting quietly enjoying his wine, gave out a low grunt.

"Listen to this one. Impedibent. Hahahahah"

"Sorry Ning, I'm not drunk enough to laugh with ya."

"Ohhh, that's not very nice."

Get Sin stood up to help Sun Shang Xiang, "Yes, Ning. No one here is drunk enough to laugh with you. Let's go Shang Xiang."

With Gan Ning between the two, they dragged him out of the room. They endured Gan Ning's drunken comments, all the way to his door where he stopped them with a loud yell.

"WAIT! Before we go any further, I want to tell you guys something. I want to tell you guys that...that...I love you guys. I loooove you guys. You guys...are my best friends. And because of that I'll tell you something, but you can't tell anyone, ok, OK. So...shh...come here...shhhhhh...come closer." He pulled their heads right next to his face, then looked around to make sure no one was around, then he yelled. "I'M DRUNK. HAHAHAHAHAH."

Get Sin opened the door to Gan Ning's room, and Ning yelled into the empty chamber.

"HOME, I'M HONEY ! Hahahahaha."

Gan Ning let his feet go. He fell to the ground, pulling Sun Shang Xiang and Get Sin with him. They went tumbling into the room. Gan Ning kept rolling until he was stopped by a chair, and he immediately fell asleep. Sun Shang Xiang and Get Sin stopped faster then Ning, but in a much more awkward position. Shang Xiang lay on the ground with Get Sin lying on top off her. It took a while for them to come back to their senses. Get Sin used his hand to take his weight off of Shang Xiang, but he was still on top of her. He did not realize the position they were in but she did. She could not help but blush in there awkward situation. Embarrassed, she looked away.

"You alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine."

He saw that she wasn't even looking at him and asked, "what's wrong then?"

"Nothing, it's just that...um...er...do you think you could...get off me."

Get Sin finally realized, and now it was his turn to be embarrassed he quickly got up. And after helping Sun Shang Xiang to her feet, the engaged in a long period of silence and awkwardness. Many times they would look at each other, neither of them would know what to say, and they would end up looking away again. Shang Xiang, looking around, and found something to distract them both.

"Do you think...you think we should move Ning to the bed."

"Na, he'll probably just hurt himself, falling off or something. He looks fine were he is now."

The two of them left the room and walked back to the party in complete silence.

Justinian14: I'm just going to stop here. I was going to write the rest of the relationship stuff but I'm tired. I'll just tell you my other pairing so I can hear any opinions before I do. I will be pairing Gan Ning with Da Qiao. I know, I, myself, don't like to break up the whole DQxSC and XQxZY, only occasionally do I like any pairing breaking these pairings. But I couldn't think of any one else for Gan Ning. So if you have any thoughts please review, and if you don't just...review anyway. My next couple of chapters should be coming in quickly. So...um...er...PEACE OUT, DOGZ!

Get Sin: What the hell was that!


	9. Chapter 9 New Feelings II

AN: I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 9 "New Feelings II"

The next day was beautiful and sunny. A light wind blew through the whole valley. It seemed as though even the gods were blessing their victory. Most of the generals woke late, and after lunch they had a training session to try and get their minds back in gear. All the generals, except for one, were already training and sparing with each other.

Gan Ning walked slowly down the hill, towards the arena. He looked terrible. His clothes were dirty and wrinkled, his hair was unkempt, his whole appearance looked awful. He limped over to where Sun Shang Xiang, Get Sin, and Xiao Qiao were seated, and plopped himself down on the ground. Without saying a word, he lay down, covering his face with his hand.

"Good Morning sunshine!" Shang Xiang exclaimed sarcastically, "Bad night?"

"Oh, Shut up!...My head feels like its been split open...uuugh...I must of fell of the bed or something."

"Yeah, I'm sure it had nothing to do with the massive amount of wine you drank last night."

"Come on Sin, if you drank as much as I have, you would know there are no negative affects from drinking large amounts of wine."

"uh-huh"

From the center of the arena, they heard Lu Meng call out the next match, "Sun Shang Xiang and Lu Xun"

"Be right back."

Sun Shang Xiang went running towards the arena. For some reason, Get Sin couldn't take his eyes off of her, something in him forced him to keep his gaze on her. He watched as she bounded down the hill, and as she talked and laughed with Lu Xun and Lu Meng. Gan Ning saw what was going on through his fingers. He quickly sat up, almost forgetting about the pain.

"Uh-oh, what's this?" He said poking Get Sin.

"What?"

"You see this Xiao, I think somethings going on?"

"Of course I see what's going on. I started suspecting this a long time ago Ning."

"What are you guys talking about?"

"YOUR IN LOVE WITH SHANG XIANG!" Gan Ning finally said.

"WHAT?"

"Sin likes Shang Xiang. Sin likes Shang Xiang. Sin likes Shang Xiang." Xiao kept saying.

"You guys have no idea what your talking about. I don't like Shang Xiang."

"Oh, I beg to differ. I think Ning and I know more than you do. Your mind is just clouded because your so in looooovvvee with Shang Xiang, hehehehe"

"I'm not in love with Shang Xiang."

"Are too"

"Am not"

"Are too"

"Am not"

"Hey, you can deny it all you want, but me and Xiao here already know too much. And if your not going to tell her, we will."

"You can't tell her, because it isn't true."

Sun Shang Xiang started to walk back up to them.

"HEY SHANG XIANG, I GOT SOMETHING TO TE..."

Get Sin jumped up and covered Ning's mouth. "Shhhh. Fine. Look, I'll admit it, I like her. But I can't tell her that. She doesn't feel the same way, and even if she does do you think her family will accept me. NO! I've already thought this through. Your telling her is going to help me get over this. So you guys have to promise me you can't tell her. OK, Xiao?"

"Ok, but this isn't going to be any fun."

"Ning?"

"Mmmmhhhhh"

"Oh yeah, sorry" Get Sin took his hand from his mouth. "Well?"

"Fine, but I think you should just tell her."

Sun Shang Xiang finally reached the three and sat down.

"Well?" She asked.

"Well what?" Get Sin asked, a bit alarmed.

"How did I do, kind of short wasn't it?"

The three gave her some low mumbling sounds, and she guessed they hadn't watched.

"Fine, then what were you talking about?"

"Nothing, just some stupid stuff." Sin quickled said, before anyone else could say anything.

A long silence ensued. Gan Ning decided to just drop the whole thing and started to think about something else.

"Do you guys remember me doing something yesterday? I swear I did something."

"You mean other than drink and make an idiot of yourself...hmmm...I don't think so."

"I did something...Geez...I think I was trying to pull a prank on someone or...something like that?"

They heard Lu Meng from the arena again, "Zhou Tai and Huang Gai"

"YES! Now I remember. Hehehehe. I can't wait to see the look on his face."

"What the hell are you babbling about Ning?" Get Sin asked.

"It was Zhou Tai. I switched his sword."

"With what?" Shang Xiang asked suspiciously

"Ok, I'll tell you guys. See that sword he has, its nothing but a handle with a long piece of pink silk on it. HAHAHAHA" The three looked at each other with worried looks. "Can you imagine him standing there, trying to wield a pink string. HAHAHAHA"

Ning started to laugh by himself, as the other three analyzed the situation.

"Hey, doesn't Tai only take out his swordy thingy when he's about to use it?" Xiao asked.

Gan Ning stopped for a moment from his laughter, to answer. "Yeah, so?"

"So what do you think will happen when..." Get Sin started, but was interrupted by a loud THUD from the arena.

The four looked over. Zhou Tai was sprawled out in the center of the arena, out cold from a large hit to head, having found out it was hard to block a large mace with a piece of cloth. His helmet was completely shattered. Lu Meng was making sure that Tai was still alive while Huang Gai inspected the strange sword handle and long pink cloth.  
Gan Ning slowly realized what they were trying to tell him, "oh"

"Idiot!" Shang Xiang and Get Sin simultaneously exclaimed.

"Wow thats going to leave one big bump" Xiao said, still looking at the body. "He's going to be really mad when he wakes up."

"Yeah, and I think we know who he'll go after when he wakes up" Sun Shang Xiang added.

They watched as Zhou Tai was already starting to wake up. Gan Ning started to get nervous. "You know what I...ummm...forgot i had something to do. So...I'll...see you guys...later." Gan Ning broke into a sprint back toward the castle, not daring to look back.

Gan Ning sprinted by many surprised guards and maids, causing many plates to fall and a lot of false alarms. But he didn't care, he ran for his life. He kept going till he was pretty deep into the castle, there he decided it was time to hide rather than run. He went for the first unlocked door he found.

He quickly opened the door and shut it behind him. He stood completely still, looking at the door. He dared not move till he at least heard Tai's footprints go by.

"May I help you?" A soft feminine voice suddenly spoke from behind him.

Gan Ning was completely taken aback. He turned around so fast he tripped over a chair and went tumbling to the ground. No more sounds came from the room, as he quickly stood up he fully inspected his surroundings. Even though it was the middle of the day, the room was dark. The furniture that decorated it looked brand new yet so old, like it had not been used for years. Near the only window there was a dresser with a large mirror. There, a young woman sat. She was still staring at him with her brown eyes, she wore a elegant dress and her beautiful dark brown hair flowed down her back. She stared at him, a bit curious. Gan Ning recognized who she was.

"My apologies Lady Qiao, I was just..." Gan Ning stopped and gave a worried look back towards the door.

Da Qiao caught the look, "You don't have to worry not many people except my sister and Sun Shang Xiang come in here, you'll be safe."

"Oh, thanks. I was just...So, you don't mind if I stay in here a bit?"

"Not at all."

With that Da Qiao turned back around and started to do her hair. Complete silence filled the room. Gan Ning took a seat but continually shifted around, extremely nervous in this long awkward silence. Da on the other hand was not affected, she sat as calmly as one could get, in front of the mirror. Gan Ning could do nothing but stare at her. He had only seen her for brief moments in the past, he wasn't even sure i she knew his name. In these brief encounters, he was never able to fully admire her. She was beautiful. It was as simple as that. She had lost one love in her life and that was the cause of her depression now. She had been through so much already and yet she was still as beautiful as ever. He felt something well up inside him. He wanted to help her, to make her happy again. Besides anyone with a sister like Xiao Qiao should not be depressed.

Even with these feelings growing inside him, the silence between them kept on. He tried to push himself to talk but nothing came out of his mouth, he went over the perfect things to say just to forget them the second he decided to talk. He thought about introducing himself but still he wouldn't move. Time went by and not a word was spoken.

After a while, Ning heard footsteps run quickly by the door. Hoping that Zhou Tai had already checked his room, he decided to sneak back to it. He stood up quietly.

"I think I'll be leaving now, thanks for the help?"

Da Qiao stopped brushing her hair, but didn't look at him. "Ok, goodbye." She returned to her hair.

Gan Ning started walking towards the door. He couldn't leave it at that, he tried desperately to gather the courage to speak. It took a few more moments of even more awkward silence, but he was finally able to speak.

"Um...Excuse me...Lady Qiao. If I could say...just one more thing." She once again stopped but did not look at him, but this actually helped increase his courage. "I never met Lord Sun Ce. But from what I've heard about him, he doesn't seem like the kind of man who would want his loved ones to grief over him for the rest of their lives...He would want them to move on with their lives, not waste it away in depression. Your still young and very beautiful, there is much for you to live for. And please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should just forget about him, but you should live on with him in your memory. I just...thought...you should know that."

Gan Ning could see that even though she had not turned around, she was looking at him through the mirror. He turned around, a bit pleased with himself, and opened the door. Just as he was walking through the doorway, he heard the sweetest and loveliest voice from behind him.

"Thank you, Lord Gan Ning."

He walked out and gently closed the door.

AN:That was actually a fun chapter to write. I don't like to brag but i feel real good with this chapter. But anyway, there will actually be 1 more short chapter with this kind of stuff, then we got many good action chapters coming up. So please stay tuned and as always, PLEASE REVIEW.


	10. Chapter 10 Nightmares

AN: This chapters pretty short but it still took me a long time to right. I've been playing a lot of DW5XL. The new modes are awesome, I recommend you at least try it. Anyway, hope you like the chapter, and please leave a review.

Chapter 10 "Nightmares"

A thunderbolt pierced through the sky, lighting up the whole valley. It was followed immediately by a loud clap.

"Eeek!"

"Come on Shang, I still can't believe your afraid of a little lightning. The fearless tigeress of Wu turned into a scared little kitten, hehehehe." Xiao Qiao sarcastically mocked her friend.

"Shut up Xiao, everyone has to be afraid of something. Look at you! Your afraid of bugs!"

"That's because I'm a girl, it's only natural. That's something I don't expect YOU to understand, hehehehe. Ooooh, just think of how many people I can tell your little secret to, hehehehe. This is almost as good as that time you gave me your journal."

"I didn't give you my journal, YOU STOLE IT!" Sun Shang Xiang was about to leap at Xiao, but she was struck down by another bolt of lightning. Her mind was completely wiped clean of the whole event.

Xiao Qiao sighed as she watched Shang Xiang. "You don't ask me to come in here just because your afraid of lightning, do you?"

"Oh shut up, I already know that being afraid of lightning is stupid. You don't have to keep making fun of me."

"No I'm serious, there's something else."

"What?"

"You actually like this?"

"Like what?"

"THIS! You like this girly talk."

"What...no I don't."

"Yes you do. Awwwww, my little Sun Shang Xiang is finally becoming a girl."

"Xiao I don't..."

"Ok you ready for this. This is a big question in our girly talks. Have you found a guy yet? " Xiao came up with a plan in her mind. "Or is there anybody you like, maybe someone new?"  
"Come on Xiao, we both know if I found a guy, I wouldn't have to tell you."

"But you didn't answer my second question."

"...no, not really."

"HA! There is. It took you almost three seconds, longer than usual, to answer. So there is someone you like."

"..."

"Fine, you can keep your secrets but I'll find out sooner or later."

Suddenly a gust of wind blew through the window, extinguishing their light. This was followed by a large lightning bolt. This caught both of them by surprise. Causing two short screams, and leaving them both in shock.

(Meanwhile)

Gan Ning walked lazily down the hallway. Half asleep and half drunk he was barely to stand up. He walked towards the kitchen, with a candle in one hand and his other hand making sure he didn't hit anything thing.

"Darn you Xiao, wherever you hid the wine I will find it. I'm not even half as drunk as I should be."

He made to the kitchen, somehow without any injuries. He searched around for a little, to no avail. He finally gave up, got a drink of water, and headed back. As he walked he started to hear the light sound of raindrops outside and the wind started to pick up. He was about halfway back, when he started to hear muffled screams. They were extremely quiet, like someone screaming into a pillow. He stood completely motionless, listening for more. He was so concentrated he forgot about the candle. Hot wax started to drip down the sides hitting his hand.

"Ahhhhh" The sudden shock of pain caused him to his hand away, sending the candle to the ground. The clank of the metal on the ground echoed through the hallways. He stopped for a minute,before picking it up, to listen. The screaming stopped. He bent down quickly and was able to pick up the candle before it went out. But then he lifted it up too fast, extinguishing the flame. Leaving him in the dark.

"Son of bi..." He was stopped at the sound of a door opening behind him.

Someone rushed out the door, and grabbed him tightly from behind. He almost went into shock. He stood their in the dark, with someone hugging him.

"Ce, is that you. I knew you weren't dead! I never gave up hope...Why aren't you saying anything! Ce?"

Gan Ning knew who it was and wasn't sure what to do, "...um...I think you got the wrong person."

There were a few seconds of silence between them, then suddenly Gan Ning was pushed forward and the door was slammed shut. He was once again left by himself in the dark hallway. He didn't know what to do. Just leave it at that and go back to his room or take a risk and go in, he couldn't decide. So he just stood there. It took a few minutes but he finally walked forward.

He slowly opened the door, trying to make as little noise as possible. Inside, there was one small candle on the table, but other than that the room was completely dark. Even though he couldn't see, he could hear someone crying on the bed. He walked slowly over grabbing the candle off the table. He walked over toward the bed.

"Da, are you ok?" He tried the talk in the softest voice he could.

"Please just go away."

He could see her now. She was lying on the bed with her face in her pillow. He night gown was disheveled and her sheets were strewn out all over the floor.

"Da if there's something wrong please tell me."

She stopped crying but did not answer. He gently sat down on the bed next to her.

"I just want to help you, and I can't if you keep..."

Da Qiao suddenly emerged from the pillow and wrapped her arms around him and started crying on his shoulder.

"I saw him. In my dreams, I saw him. Then you...you just remind me of him so much. I didn't mean to bring you into this, I'm sorry"

Gan Ning nervously brought his arms around her. He held her, trying to give her some comfort.

"I told you before, I want to help you. What can I do, you can tell me anything."

"No, it's ok. Just..." Da hesitated for a minute. "Can you just hold me for a while, please just for a while. I don't want to be alone right now."

"It would be my pleasure."

AN: I kind of rushed this chapter so I'm sorry about that. I hope you enjoyed it though. Please Review, I need some more reviews please. And thank you to those who have reviewed.


	11. Chapter 11 The Battle for Yi Ling

AN: Just to make this clear, this is not the battle of Yi Ling, the one with Lu Xun and fire. This is the battle for Yi Ling, much different from the other.

Chapter 11 "The Battle for Yi Ling"

Zhou Yu stood up at the head of the table. "I'm sorry to cut the celebrations short, but there are many problems we must take care of."

A week of celebrations had gone by. Every night there was a party similar to that of the first. People got drunk, dance, and sang, generally making fools of themselves. But that was over now, Zhou Yu had cut the traditional 2 week long victory celebrations short. He called all the generals to a war council to plan for their conquest of Jing.

"Wu is in a very crucial state of affairs." Zhou Yu continued, "With their defeat at Chi Bi, Wei is off balance. They may still have the ability to defend their country but they have neither the resources nor the willpower to attack or reinforce on their outermost defenses, especially their new holdings in Jing. We must move as soon as possible to take Jing, both to secure the future of our kingdom and to fulfill the ambitions of our former lords Sun Jian and Sun Ce (who both died during their campaigns on Jing). Because our Lord and his new official, Pang Tong, do not wish to attack Liu Bei," Zhou Yu gave a glare toward the man seated next to Sun Quan. Following the battle of Chi Bi, Sun Quan had taken Pang Tong in as a close adviser. Zhou Yu and Pang Tong were not on the best terms. "our first target should be Nanjun. At the moment, Cao Ren is stationed their with the largest Wei force in Jing. If we can remove this force, the rest of Wei's holding will fall easily before our might. We must also look to our northern defenses, the only goal in Cao Cao's head right now is to avenge his disgrace at Chi Bi. We must be prepared. And so, I am sending Lu Su, Lu Xun, and Taishi Ci to prepare our defenses along the river."

"But what of Liu Bei?" Lu Meng asked from across the table, "has he made any moves yet?"

"No, not to our knowledge, he hasn't."

"hmmm, that seems odd" Zhou Yu looked down the table at Get Sin, "Are you sure we should be moving with such haste when we know nothing of Zhuge Liang's plans?"

"Yes, this makes me nervous as well." Zhou Yu answered, "but we are in a position where delay could be disastrous. Let Zhuge Liang make his schemes, we'll just have to cope with them when they come." Zhou Yu looked around the table, waiting for anyone to speak. No one did so he continued, "Ok, let us discuss our strategy then. If we move out now we should reach Nanjun in about 7 days. Once there, our best course of action is to lay siege to the city. It will be long and arduous but it is the best way."

Gan Ning suddenly stood up, "Let the chief commander not be so impetuous."

"Did he just say impetuous?" Sun Shang Xiang whispered to Get Sin.

"Don't worry, he had to ask me the meaning of that word yesterday." The two shared a quiet laugh together.

(I'm not saying Gan Ning is dumb, just because your smart doesn't mean you have to you use big words. Gan Ning's speech is from the book.)

"Cao Ren has put Cao Hong in charge of Yi Ling as one point of a pincer." Gan Ning continued, "I would like to have three thousand men to seize Yi Ling. With it captured one whole side of Cao Ren's defense will be gone, and you can take Nanjun for certain."

Zhou Yu gave a look to Sun Quan, who gave him a nod of agreement. "Alright take three thousand men and, I assume, General Get Sin and move out as soon as possible. You have 10 days. Take Yi Ling, send us a messenger, then we'll coordinate an attack on Nanjun."

After the council, Gan Ning and Get Sin both went to Ning's room to prepare. Ning was searching for something in a large cabinet while Get Sin sat in a chair reading a small book, when Sun Shang Xiang came in.

"Hey Guys" They both greeted her as she took a seat next to Get Sin. "I just came by to tell you guys, good luck. I'll see ya in a few weeks."

"Where are you going?" Get Sin asked, putting down his book.

"My mother is sick again, so I'm going home for a while."

"Oh, sorry. Hope she feels better."

"ahh, don''t worry, she always gets better. Us Wu women are tough."

"I found it!" Gan Ning suddenly yelled, emerging from the cabinet. He now held an ornate golden box, decorated with pictures of animals, imprinted all over it.

Sun Shang Xiang stood up and looked around the dirty room. "Maybe if you cleaned a little you wouldn't lose them in the first place."

Gan Ning carefully opened the box and pulled out his signature decoration. There were three silver bells attached to a strip of leather. "There are my beauties." he said lovingly, as he held them in his hand.

Sun Shang Xiang looked down at Get Sin, who had a confused look on his face as he watched Gan Ning talk to and gently stroke the bells. "You haven't seen Ning with his bells yet have you." Get Sin just watched as Ning attached them to his pants. "There from his younger days as a pirate."

"Everyone from here to Cheng Du know to run when they hear the great Gan Ning of the bells coming." Gan Ning said proudly.

"I've tried to tell him, hundreds of times, that they make him look like a..." Sun Shang Xiang started.

"DON'T EVEN SAY IT! I SWEAR THE NEXT PERSON WHO SAYS THAT WILL DIE!"

Gan Ning angrily yelled, as he protectively covered the bells.

Sun Shang Xiang stood there, with her hands behind her back, innocently whistling and looking around the room. Gan Ning started to finally calm down, when suddenly.

"Thosebellsmakeyoulooklikeawuss." Then she was gone. She yelled, good luck, as she sprinted down the hallway.

Gan Ning ran out into the hallway and yelled at her, "You little brat! The next I see you, you'll get it! You hear me!"

Get Sin stood up from the chair, still laughing to himself, and walked out the door. "Come on ,Gan Ning of the Bells, we should be leaving now."

The two walked outside and found their horses and their small force, already to go. After a final farewell to their commander and their lord, they were off. Marching west toward Yi Ling.

(4 days later)

"Are we there yet? How much further we have to go? It's so early, I should still be sleeping." Gan Ning whined as his horse steadily moved forward.

Get Sin sighed, "Would you shut up already, damn! We're less then a day away now, we'll be there by noon."

"Good, we'll take this place, then we'll some, much deserved, sleep."

"Just remember, we have to take the city first."

"General Gan!" A scout from the vanguard came up and bowed, behind him and old man followed on an old, grey horse. "This local has some information you may find useful."

"Alright, what is it?"

The old man came forward. He looked like a poor and starved beggar. His robe was dirty and his horse looked sickly. "If you are going to Yi Ling, I know a secret path that goes through the mountains. It is narrow, about only 10 men could fit at a time, but it comes out right behind Yi Ling."

"hmm, a secret path you say. Narrow though." Gan Ning took in the new information. "It may take too long to move the infantry through, though."

"Yes, but we can not just waste this opportunity." Get Sin added.

"So what do you think. Should we split our forces?"

"Yes, I'll take the 200 hundred cavalry and move through the pass. Then, while you are battling Cao Hong outside the city, we will take it from behind."

"Alright, it's settled then. Old man, can you lead my lieutenant here to this secret path."

"Yes, of course my lord."

"Ok, and where is it that you and your family live?"

The old man looked at Gan Ning with a questionable face but answered, "Over there my lord." He pointed to an old shack, only a few hundred paces away.

"You soldier!"

"Sir."

"Take some of our gold and as much supplies as we can spare, and deliver it to that house over there."

"Consider it done, sir."

The old man realized what he had done, "oh, thank you my lord, but it is too much."

"Nonsense, this is a thanks from the kingdom of Wu." Gan Ning turned to Get Sin. "Sin, I'll meet you in the city."

"Meet you there." Get Sin turned the soldiers waiting for their orders, and yelled. "ALRIGHT, CAVALRY YOUR WITH ME. LETS GO!"

With that, they split. Get Sin took the cavalry to the secret and Ning lead the rest of their army on their original path to Yi Ling. Moving quickly, Gan Ning made it to Yi Ling right on time. As his force emerged from the forest, they came out to see Cao Hong, with his two commanders Yue Jin and Niu Jiu at his sides, and the Wei army already lined up in front of Yi Ling. Gan Ning lined his troops up, across the field from the Wei force, before taking his horse out to the center of the field. Charging out he yelled.

"GAN NING COMES, WHO DARES OPPOSE!"

Cao Hong came forward, and yelled back. "Gan Ning, lead your army off this field and we'll assure you safe passage back to Wu."

Gan Ning answered back, "The time for words is over! Fight or run back to Cao Cao with your tail between your legs!"

To that, Cao Hong engaged Gan Ning in combat, but within only a few bouts he retreated in defeat. Next, Niu Jiu came out to fight. With one giant stroke of his blade, Gan Ning broke Niu Jiu's spear in half, and sent him running for his life. Yue Jin, on the other hand, had enough. He lead the Wei troops forwards, charging across the battlefield. Gan Ning rejoined his troops, and lead them forward as well. With a loud clash, the soldiers met. The battle roared through the valley. The Wu soldiers, even though outnumber 2 to 1, were holding back the Wei army. Their leaders victories before the fight had invigorated them and their morale was soaring. But that couldn't last for ever. Slowly the larger numbers of Wei picked away at the Wu morale. After much fighting, the advantage turned to Wei, as the Wu soldiers started to lose ground. They were being pushed back.

Gan Ning fought in the center he slashed down man after man but they kept on coming. He looked around the battlefield. They were slowly being pushed back into the forest. The lines were still holding, but it would not be long till it broke, then they would really be in trouble. He looked to Yi Ling, there was no sign of Get Sin.

"Where are you Get Sin? You should have been here by now."

(Elsewhere)

Get Sin swung down his sword, sliced straight through the man's shield and hitting him square in the chest.

"This is taking way too long. These encampments are slowing us down."

He quickly ducked, dodging a spear thrust, then brought his sword down on another soldier. He looked up at the sun. It was already past noon.

He turned back to his men. "COME ON! WE HAVE TO MOVE FASTER!" He lead them, charging out of the encampment and along the narrow path.

'At this rate we may not make it in time' he thought to himself.

Going around a corner, they came upon a much larger obstacle. Get Sin gasped as he saw what was in front of them. 'Great. What the heck are we going to do now?'

AN: ok, there's another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. See y'all next week. And please leave a little review.


	12. Chapter 12 The Battle for Yi Ling II

AN: The surprise might not be as extravagant as you all thought, but I liked it. I'm trying to keep the story realistic. This chapters short but sweet, I'm trying to updatea second time this weekend.Anyway I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review.

Chapter 12 "The Battle for Yi Ling II"

Get Sin called his force to a stop and looked upon the large stone fortress in front of him. It was huge for its location, snuggled up against the mountain taking up the whole pass. There was no way around it, and it looked as though it could withstand anything.

'What the heck is that doing here?' Get Sin thought.

"What are going to do now, my lord?" A soldier asked from behind him. "Go back?"

"No! We can't go back now."

"But we won't be able to break through that. Do you have a plan my lord?"

Get Sin looked at the fortress. The main flag above the gate read, "Rear Guard, Zhang Kai.". Get Sin remembered what Zhou Yu's report had said about this general. It said, simply, stubborn warrior. He then thought up an idea.

"Alright, you must listen to me and go as fast as you can."

Get Sin removed his robe, so that his chest was bare. He got off his horse and covered his hand mud. He took the mud and made a long streak diagonally across his chest, and another streak on his face. He then ordered 20 of his men to do the same. When it was all done and ready, him and the 20 soldiers went out in view of the fortress as the rest of his force hid out of view.

He called out, "Ou Ding is coming through, make way for him."

Get Sin's ploy worked. Zhang Kai took one look at the ragtag group and, believing them to just be a group of petty bandits, he thought he could get an easy kill. The fortress gate opened and Zhang Kai charged out, with his 3-pronged spear poised for the kill, his troops trying to keep up with him. His only thoughts were on the leader as he charged forward at a full gallop.

Get Sin told his troops to stay back, as he watched Zhang Kai coming at him. He unsheathed his sword, and calmly held it in front of him. Zhang Kai thrust his spear forward, towards Get Sin's chest, with all his might. With a simple flick of his sword, Get Sin parried the reckless assault. Then with a strong backwards stroke, he hit the soft flesh of Zhang Kai's back neck, just below the helmet, severing his head from his body. Zhang Kai's troops were petrified, their leader had fallen so easily to this brigand. Then suddenly, Wu cavalrymen came galloping around the corner. The troops scattered back towards the fortress. They tried, desperately, to close the gate but they were too late. The Wu soldiers were already inside, cutting and slashing down scores of panicked Wei soldiers. Get Sin joined his troops and led them out the back gate and back on to the path. They finally continued on their mission but the only question on Get Sin's mind was, could they still make it?

(back at Yi Ling)

Gan Ning swung his blade striking the man on the side of his neck. Needless to say, he not going to do any more fighting. Ning quickly turned around blocking a spear thrust then striking back at his attacker. One of his soldiers came up to him.

"General, we must call a retreat."

"No! Just a little longer. They'll make it."

Gan Ning turned around once again cutting down another handful of soldiers.

"General, if we don't call the retreat now, the line will break, then there will be a massacre."

Gan Ning looked over the battlefield. Both his flanks were already starting to fold, and the center was already disintegrating. They had pushed back all the way to the very entrance they had used to come into the valley. They still had the ability to retreat but they would have it for long. So he made his decision.

"Alright" He sighed, "Sound the retreat."

The soldier was dumbfounded, he had not expected Gan Ning to retreat until the very last second. "Ex...Excuse me, sir."

"You heard me sound the re..."

Out of nowhere a loud cry resonated through the valley. It was not a cry of pain or fear, but a cry of victory. Both armies looked for the source of the cry and watched as the flag of Wu was raised above Yi Ling, and the city gates were closed. The Wei soldiers started to panic. Believing that they had been tricked, thousands of soldiers fled. Gan Ning led his reinvigorated troops back against the Wei line, and quickly turned the tables. What was left of the Wei army was now being pushed back across the valley. Cao Hong and Yue Jin were desperately trying to hold there line together. They were pushed back all the way toward the city when suddenly Wu cavalrymen struck out from the gate. Get Sin lead his troops, hitting Cao Hong's right flank. That was the last straw, the Wei army disintegrated. Cao Hong turned his horse and fled, as the Wu army took an incredible toll on the Wei force. Gan Ning and Get Sin met in the middle, and, together, they marched victoriously into the city.

"See piece of cake." Gan Ning boasted.

"Yeah sure. I bet you were panicking when I didn't show up on time. I bet you called a retreat, didn't ya?"

Gan Ning made a fist toward the soldier next to him, telling him not to even think about it. "You wish, nothing scares the great Gan Ning." Both of them smirked. "But lets not talk about that now. It's time to get drunk and sleep away all these worries." He turned around to one of his soldiers, "Send a messenger to Zhou Yu, tell him of our great victory."

That night there was a party, well not much of a party as Gan Ning getting very drunk and falling asleep on the table, but it put everyone at ease. The next morning Ning was woken up by a nervous soldier, telling him that Get Sin needed to see him. It took a while, but he got up and walked to the city gate. There he found Get Sin with a bunch of soldiers.

"So, what's wrong. Too peaceful for the soldiers. I know I'm a bit anxious myself."

Get Sin turned around, "Not quite." He moved aside so that Gan Ning could see the valley.

At the northern end of the valley, there was a large pass between the mountain. Pouring through this pass, were thousands of blue soldiers.

"How many?" Ning asked, still not believing what he saw.

"We think about 15,000...It's Cao Ren."

"What do you think we should do?"

Get Sin looked back out toward the enemy, and took a deep breath. "Prepare for a siege."

A: What will our heroes do? Can they hold out against this new enemy? Will they ever see there loved ones again? Am I going to fail this school semester? Find out next time on...  
Get Sin: Would you shut up already.


	13. Chapter 13 The Siege of Yi Ling

AN:Sorry, I meant to get this chapter out a couple of days ago but i was depressed because my last didn't get any reviews :(. But who cares, new day, new chapter, this one has a lot of strategy stuff in it so be prepared. Please read and review.

Chapter 13 "The Siege of Yi Ling"

Gan Ning and Get Sin prepared the troops. They sent a courier to Zhou Yu, urgently requesting reinforcements, then closed and reinforced the gate. Cao Ren came at them with everything he had, yet they held out for two weeks. Assault after assault were pushed back, ladders and towers were knocked down and destroyed, mounds were built but were burned back down, tunnels were dug only to be collapsed. Cao Ren used every siege tactic he knew, he was now down to his last one.

Gan Ning awoke from his short nap, there had been a raid last night that had kept him up a long time. He stood up from the chair, and walked out of the small headquarters and went to the gate. There he found Get Sin standing looking over the battlefield, a few officers behind him. It seemed to him, that Get Sin had been living on the gate for the last two weeks. Whenever he saw him thats were he was, always surveying the field predicting what Cao Ren would do next. Gan Ning had thanked the heavens when Sin had predicted many of Cao Ren's assaults and strategies, and had guided him through many of the defenses. He had turned into quite the strategist.

Gan Ning walked up next to him. "So what's it look like today. Another mound, or more tunnels."

"Nothing yet. They don't seem to be planning anything." Get Sin answered, still scanning the valley.

"Good, maybe today we'll get a break." Gan Ning yawned, "maybe I can catch up on some sleep."

"You'll have plenty of time to sleep when we get back to Wu."

"Yeah sure." Gan Ning stretched out his back and yawned. Looking out he suddenly saw a bright glimmer of light. He looked at it closer but could not tell what it was. "What's that?" He pointed towards a small object to the northwest.

Get Sin looked at the object, he squinted his eyes trying to see what it was. He quickly left the gate and ran along the wall to get a better view, Gan Ning followed closely behind him.

"It looks like spotters."

"Spotters? For what?" Gan Ning asked, seeing now there were many of these spotters dotting the ridge.

"Spotters mean trebuchets, and trebuchets mean...very big rocks. Judging by the number of spotters, there must be many of them, just below that hill where we cannot see. The spotters must still be making the necessary calculation, so we may still have some time."

(If you don't know, trebuchets are similar to catapults, except they throw bigger rockers even further and the mechanics are very different)

Gan Ning and the officers were silent when they realized the trouble they were in. "So, what can we do. What defenses do we have against those things, where are our trebuchets?"

"We don't have any trebuchets...and we don't have any defenses against them." Get Sin announced grimly.

Gan Ning started to pace around on the wall. "Ok, I know you have a plan already Sin. What you got for me?"

Get Sin stood still, looking out at the spotters, deep in thought. He was quiet for a few minutes, then he turned around and started to pace. His hand covered his mouth showing that he was still thinking. He breathed heavily as he walked around, his eyes were now looking at the ground. Suddenly, a light bulb lit up, he raised his head and looked at Gan Ning.

"The Wei army," He started as he rubbed his forehead, like he was still formulating his plan. "is keen, they are well trained and well equipped. Their supply lines are secure and their coin is ample. There are no weaknesses there. We must look to their general."

"Cao Ren? Hmmm... lets see, weaknesses...ummm...he's a jackass, how about that?"

Get Sin laughed a bit but got right back on track, "No...that's not enough. Cao Ren...what does he know?...He knows that we cannot stand against his army...He knows that we sent for reinforcements and he knows that Zhou Yu will come. But what does he think?...He thinks that Zhou Yu will be here anytime now, but we know it will take him a week to prepare the forces and then another 2 to march here. We still have a week to go, but Cao Ren does not know that..."

"So, he's ...?" Gan Ning was trying to hurry Sin along.

"He is...overcautious."

"Overcautious?"

Get Sin walked over to a small table and opened up a map of the surrounding area. "Yes, he is overcautious. You can see it in the location he deployed the trebuchets. He placed them here, just below the ridge." Get Sin pointed to the spot on the map. "This is the quickest place he could have deployed them. At this location though, the only place he can hit is our northern wall. Not only is it our strongest position but there is also a steep slope at the bottom, so even if they break the wall down, it will take much effort to charge up the hill. Had he taken an extra day to move them here, to the northeast. He could have hit our front gate and taken the city within a day."

"Alright, so he's overcautious. How can we use that?"

Get Sin took another deep breath, "If you were to lead the men outside the city now, Cao Ren would believe it to be an attempt to join up with Zhou Yu. He does not want that to happen. He will send every last soldier out to destroy you before you can link up with Zhou Yu, leaving the trebuchets completely defenseless."

"So I'll act as a decoy, while you sneak around and destroy the trebuchets."

"Exactly. You must make sure to pull Cao Ren close enough, so that he cannot see the trebuchets. Leave the archers and crossbowman hidden on the walls to cover your retreat. I'll take the cavalry through the forest to the west and flank them."

"Ok, officers you heard the plan, get the soldiers ready." Gan Ning ordered, and the men were off.

Within minutes the troops were prepared. Get Sin snuck out with his cavalry quickly moving south around the fortress. Gan Ning moved his forces out 200 paces away from the city and lined them up.

They did not have to wait long. Cao Ren and his whole army came marching up, double time, and lined up opposite Gan Ning. The two armies stood there facing each other, not moving. Gan Ning finally feigned retreat, he called out to his officers to fall back. Cao Ren heard this and immediately sent his army forward. Gan Ning then turned and faced his enemy. Clashing, the two armies met.

The only thought going through the Wu army, was not to be surrounded. They had no chance of victory but if only they could last out long enough. Gan Ning charged out into the center. On horseback, he slashed right and left cutting down all in his path. He spotted Cao Ren in the field and Cao Ren spotted him as well. The two warriors charged each other. The duel went on for 20 bouts. So far, Gan Ning seemed to have the better of Cao Ren but the decisive blow had not yet been given. Gan Ning charged again. This time he had him, with a mighty swing he knocked Cao Ren completely off his horse. Just as Gan Ning was going in for the kill and arrow left Cao Hong's bow. Flying through the sky it pierced into Gan Ning chest, sending him tumbling off his horse. He immediately lost consciousness. The troops around Ning panicked, they were now leaderless and the only thought on their mind was retreat. They gathered up the body of their leader and called the retreat. The line broke and the men scattered back to the gate. Hundreds perished, cut down as they ran for their lives. Cao Ren charged toward the city looking to take the city in one clean swipe, when suddenly hundreds of bowmen appeared on the walls. They shot down pursuers and forced Cao Ren to a stop.

Cao Hong came up behind Cao Ren, "Cousin, why stop now. They are leaderless."

"Don't you think its odd that those bowmen were just waiting for us." He turned around and looked back toward their camp. Dust was rising back where their trebuchets were. "Ha, Gan Ning you tricky devil. Look, their destroying the trebuchets. It must be that new general Lord Cao told us about."

Cao Hong turned and gasped as he saw. "What! Hurry we must get back to the camp!"

Cao Ren smiled deviously, "No, send the spear men to the east and the cavalry to the west, they won't charge through the center so I'll keep the light infantry in the middle. Enclose him, and capture him, then we'll take him alive back to Cao Cao."

(back with Get Sin)

Get Sin and his small force charged out of the forest. Just as he expected the only ones near the trebuchets were a few slothful engineers and spotters, sitting around doing nothing in particular. The Wu cavalry came at them so fast, they were cut down before they could even stand. Get Sin immediately got to work on finishing his objective. Get Sin worried about the amount of dust they were stirring up but he dismissed it and concentrated on sabotaging the trebuchets. It took awhile but they were all destroyed. He took a look back toward the battlefield before moving out. Something was odd, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

One of his soldiers came up to him, "Lord Get Sin, we should be getting back now."

"No, wait." It finally hit him. "Look there!" He pointed up toward the sky, above the battlefield.

"It's just a few buzzards and crows, my lord. That's common to see them after a battle."

"Yes, but would they land while the battle was still going on. Something must of happened, the battle must've stopped." Get Sin looked to the right and left, and turned back to his soldiers. "We're being surrounded."

The soldiers looked toward the forest, they themselves had used, and saw many small animals come scurrying out.

"What should we do, my lord." A soldier asked, fear could be heard in his voice.

"We should go through the middle, Cao Ren expects us to go around the center. I'm sure he sent the spear men and their cavalry to the flanks."

Get Sin charged for the center and his soldiers followed without question. Get Sin was right, the only resistance in the center was a line of light infantry, which they broke through with ease. But they're problems weren't over yet.

Get Sin lead his troops to the gate of Yi Ling, he called up for the guards to open the gate. But he was met by a group of terrified soldiers. The soldiers could not recognize Get Sin with his dust covered uniform and scared of an enemy ploy they refused. Even with the exhortations and infuriated threats from their general and pleas of help from the soldiers, they were too terrified to open the gate. Get Sin saw that the pursuers were already closing in, he gave up trying to convince them, and decided they only had one last course of action left. Dusk was now falling. In the twilight he turned his troop back around, marshaled his men, he boldly charged Cao Ren's pursuit. There was some difficulty in seeing clearly, and Cao Ren, under the impression that these were fresh reinforcements, prudently drew off. Get Sin's bluff worked and with the time he had bought he was able to convince the defenders of his identity.

Get Sin rejoined Gan Ning and called the army surgeon to remove the arrow. Gan Ning lived but it would take time to recover. For the next week Cao Ren's attacks were far less severe then his early ones. He always seemed worried and always sent a large portion of his troops to guard the eastern pass. The week went by pretty easily for the defenders, and Zhou Yu finally came with the reinforcements. Cao Ren retreated without a fight, and Zhou Yu entered the city to meet with Get Sin. After a short stay Zhou Yu took his troops and moved out for Nanjun. He tried to convince Get Sin to come with the army and have Gan Ning sent back to Wu but Get Sin rejected the plan. Instead, he asked to stay there with Gan Ning and defend Yi Ling while Ning recuperated, then they could join Zhou Yu and the army. Zhou Yu had no other choice but to accept.

It took two weeks for Gan Ning to recover. And the very day Ning finally started to move around a messenger came from Zhou Yu. He was breathing heavily and is horse looked half dead, he must have been riding hard for days.

"General Gan Ning, Lord Get Sin! I come with and urgent message from Commander Zhou Yu!"

AN: That last tactic that Get Sin used, when he charged back at Cao Ren, that wasn't my idea. That was from real history. The famous Byzantine general Belisarius used that tactic during the Gothic siege on Rome, in 536 B.C.E. (Poor, poor Belisarius, when it came to being a General he was brilliant, but when it came to being a man he was a wuss) Anyway, next chapter is very important(main bad guy in the story is introduced) so even if you didn't like these last couple of chapters please read the next one. And please review, i need some feedback, please.


	14. Chapter 14 A Star Falls in the East

AN: Ok, I need some reviews please. My motivation is down to a minimum. So please if you could just leave a little review. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 14 "A Star Falls in the East"

"What? What do you mean? What happened?" Get Sin asked the messenger, a bit panicked.

"Lord Zhou Yu has been injured. Lord Cheng Pu has assumed command and requests immediate reinforcements." The messenger answered, still breathing heavily.

"Injured?"

"Yes, during the assault on Nanjun, he took an arrow to the chest. He is in critical condition."

"Alright, we'll move as soon as possible." Gan Ning said, as he was already sending the officers to gather the troops. "Go back and inform Cheng Pu."

"Yes, sir." The messenger got back on his horse and was off again.

Gan Ning turned to Get Sin. "We'll take all the troops, the city council can take care of the city. Ok?" Get Sin nodded and went off to help prepare the troops.

Within hours the troops were prepared and they set off toward Nanjun. They marched steadily for three days, they were now less then a day away.

Get Sin shook his head as he looked out on the horizon. He clenched his jaw and his eyes didn't waver as he thought of what might of happened. Gan Ning saw his the worried look on his friend's face.

"Sin, you gotta calm down. I'm sure everything is fine."

"You don't understand Ning. I should of gone with him. This would never of happened." He answered back quickly, as though he had been thinking of it for a while.

"Would ya stop worrying so much. It'll take more than a simple arrow to take down Zhou Yu."

The sound of a horse, going full speed, came toward them from the very road they were traveling. They both turned to find Lu Xun coming toward them, his face flustered and he breathed heavily. He brought the horse to an abrupt stop.

"Lu Xun, what's wrong?" Gan Ning asked, surprised by the face of the young officer.

"Lord Sun Quan...I must...I must find him?" Lu Xun answered between breathes.

"Hold on a sec. Slow down. What happened?"

"They took the city!"

"What? Who?"

"Liu Bei!"

"What!" Both Gan Ning and Get Sin exclaimed simultaneously.

Lu Xun took a breath, then started. "Zhou Yu used his injury to lure Cao Ren out of the city. Our forces fell upon him and destroyed his army. But as we marched to take the empty city, we found the gates closed with Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang standing above on the city gate. We just sent messengers out to you guys yesterday."

Both Ning and Sin were silent as they thought, and as if by some twist of fate a group of men from Yi Ling came, riding up the road they had just come. The leader came before Gan Ning, got down of his horse, and bowed down low in front of Gan Ning.

The man seemed very nervous as spoke, "Lord Gan, I'm sorry b...but...Yi Ling has been taken by Guan Yu."

The three generals were left speechless. They thought for a time trying to sort out what had happened. Get Sin was the first to put it all together.

He buried his head in his hands as he spoke, "Damn it! We fell right into his trap."

"What?" Gan Ning asked, trying to catch up.

"That messenger...he was not from Cheng Pu. Zhuge Liang wanted us out of the city, and we went along with his freaking scheme like we were blind."

"What should we do now?" Ning asked.

"Let's move on with the cavalry. The faster we get there the faster we can solve these problems, let the infantry come at there own pace."

Lu Xun went on his way, the group of men from Yi Ling asked Gan Ning if they could join their army. Ning complied and they joined the ranks. Ning and Sin left the infantry and made their way to Nanjun.

They made it to Nanjun just as the sun started to set. 100 yards from the city gate they saw a crowd of officers gathering in a circle. They all looked sad as they stared at the scene in the center. Gan Ning and Get Sin got down off their horses and pushed their way through the crowd. They came upon the worst scene they could have imagined.

There in the center lay Zhou Yu. Blood dripped out of his mouth as his eyes stared up to the heavens. He was dead. Sitting next to him sat the bawling Xiao Qiao, desperately clutching onto his arm, calling for him to come back. Hugging her was her sister, Da, crying and trying to comfort her grieving sister. Just behind them stood Sun Shang Xiang, covering her face with her hand, obviously crying as well. Generals Lu Meng, Taishi Ci, Huang Gai, Ling Tong, Cheng Pu, and Han Dang stood around the body with different faces, that all said the same thing.

Get Sin went over first to Shang Xiang, he placed a comforting hand on her back. She looked at him for a minute then turned back to Zhou Yu. Gan Ning walked over to Da and Xiao. After a minute, Xiao suddenly stood and ran off, still bawling. Da and Shang Xiang immediately followed. Get Sin bent down next to the body as Lu Meng joined him.

"What happened?" Get Sin asked quietly.

"We're not sure. He came out of his tent yelling angrily then just...collapsed."

They stopped and looked up as Sun Quan's carriage came onto the scene. Lu Xun sat on his horse next to the carriage. As he saw the body his face changed to grief, there was also a bit of failure in his face as well. Sun Quan came out of his carriage and walked slowly towards the body. Seeing Lu Meng and Get Sin inspecting the body he stopped short of it, fell down on his hands and knees, and wept. Pang Tong came to the door of the carriage, he was unchanged by the scene in front of him. After inspecting the area he returned back into the carriage.

Get Sin turned back to Zhou Yu. "Do you think it was his wound?"

Lu Meng bent down close to the body, looking closely at Zhou Yu's face. "No. His face is still full and healthy, not pale and sickly as it would be."

"His eyes are dilated." Get Sin added.

"Do you think it was...poison?"

"It's seems the only way. What has he been eating?"

Lu Meng called over the supply captain. He questioned him, "What has Zhou Yu been eating?"

"All of his food was tested before it was given to him, just as Lord Cheng Pu ordered."

"Are you sure there was not anything that went untested?"

The supply captain thought for a minute, "There was one thing...A pack of meat buns came for him from Lady Qiao."

"And you didn't test it?" Get Sin asked.

"It came with the imperial Sun Family seal, and explicit directions that Lady Qiao's homemade meat buns would not to be touched by any other then Zhou Yu."

Get Sin's eyes widened as he looked back to Lu Meng. "Xiao doesn't cook! There were only two people, outside the family, that could of gotten a hold of the seal. One of them is Zhou Yu, the other..."

Get Sin just stared at Lu Meng, and Meng got the message. He stood up immediately and ordered, "Guards seize Pang Tong!" At first the guards were unsure but after another furious order from Lu Meng they moved toward the carriage. Swords drawn they entered only to find it empty.

A low laugh came from the Nanjun's gate. All the generals turned to see the gate to the city was open and in the center stood Pang Tong. To his right stood Zhuge Liang and on his left was Zhao Yun, ten guards stood just behind him.

"It took you fools long enough."

"Pang Tong you bastard! You killed Zhou Yu!" Lu Meng yelled angrily.

"He was becoming a problem for my Lord, he had to be disposed of."

"You used his wife to get to him, have you no shame, no sense of honor!"

"There are no such things when it comes to the dogs that populate your kingdom."

The generals of Wu automatically unsheathed their weapons ready to charge, when suddenly hundreds of Shu crossbowman appeared on the wall.

"I suggest all you generals back away before you all join Zhou Yu." Pang Tong warned.

With no choice the Generals all backed away to protect Sun Quan. Get Sin, Lu Meng, and Gan Ning were now the only ones still with the body. Get Sin eyed Zhao Yun. He was looking toward the ground, it seemed as though he was ashamed.

"Zhao Yun, I heard you were a man of virtue, what say you?" Get Sin pleaded.

Zhao Yun looked up and opened his mouth as if to speak, but then closed it and looked back down.

"Don't try and dissuade him, this is what Lord Liu Bei wan..."

Pang Tong was interrupted by a loud high pitched scream. Xiao Qiao suddenly shot through the crowd. Bow and arrow in hand, with a scream she shot the arrow at Pang Tong. The arrow shot straight and true. The assault had been so sudden that it seemed no one could have blocked it. But somehow Pang Tong raised his staff, a bright green light started to shine around him. Everyone who saw were flabbergasted by the site, as the arrow hit the green light it stopped in mid air. And there it stood suspended until Pang Tong lowered his staff, dissipating the green light, and letting the arrow fall harmlessly to the ground.

Recovering from the shock the Shu guards charged out to capture Xiao Qiao. The Wu generals also recovered, Gan Ning quickly went forward cutting down the first guard. Get Sin and Lu Meng joined him, as Da Qiao and Shang Xiang helped get, the now broken down, Xiao back to camp. Zhuge Liang called for the guards to stop.

"There's no need to risk our future relations, fall back."

At his order, the guards fell back. Pang Tong gave a cocky smile as the gate started to close.

Get Sin felt like a failure, he had to do something before it was too late. He did the only thing he could, he made an oath. Just as the door was closing he yelled, "PANG TONG I SWEAR THAT BEFORE MY LIFE ON THIS PLANET ENDS I WILL SEE YOU DEAD! YOU HEAR ME! DEAD!"

Pang Tong only smirked at him as the gate slam shut. Get Sin fell to his knees. He looked up toward the stars that were just coming out. A bright star shot past his view, disappearing in the east, leaving only its memory and dreams behind.

AN: Ok, theres another chapter. I was thinking about updating again this weekend, but if I'm going to I need some reviews. So please leave a little review. Hope you enjoyed.


	15. Chapter 15 Time Heals all Wounds

AN: ok, heres another chapter. For any anonymous readers out there I turned on the anonymous reviews (i didn't even know you could turn it off) so please review. Hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 15 "Time Heals all Wounds"

"What do you mean we're not going to do anything? We should take this opportunity to shove a sword down the snake's throat!" Gan Ning yelled as he slammed his hands down on the table.

"Ning, an attack on Liu Bei, at this time, is just not possible." Lu Meng advised, in his new seat next to Sun Quan. With Lu Su elsewhere, he had become head adviser.

"THE ONLY THING THATS NOT POSSIBLE IS ZHOU YU WALKING IN THOUGH THAT DOOR!" He stood up quickly, knocking over his chair, then angrily kicking it. The chair flew and shattered against the wall.

Get Sin stood up and tried to calm his brother down, he whispered, "Ning, this is not helping. Go find something to drink."

Gan Ning looking around the room, then angrily stomped off.

Get Sin turned back to Lu Meng and Sun Quan, and in a calm but stressed voice asked, "Do you really mean to do nothing?"

"Sin, we all feel the same way you do, but we have nothing to gain from attacking Liu Bei. There is no purpose..."

"No purpose?...No purpose!" All of Get Sin's calmness disappeared at that moment. "ZHOU YU IS DEAD...HE'S DEAD...and all that coin, all that grain...ALL THAT BLOOD, wasted, for what? To give Liu Bei an easy victory, to give him land that rightfully belongs to us! If we just except this, then what...the Shanyue and Shi Xie will rebel, Cao Cao will attack with no fear...our kingdom will disintegrate!" Get Sin attitude changed completely. He looked down at the ground and leaned on the table, his voice was now quiet and shaky. "This is all my fault. Had I just gone with him, none of this would have happened."

"There is no way for us to know that." Sun Quan tried to comfort his vassal. "I know that we cannot just accept this, but we need Liu Bei right now. We cannot attack him."

"Why not?"

"Because, Cao Cao is already attacking in the North." Lu Meng quickly answered. Get Sin raised his head a bit surprised then dropped it back down again. "Lu Su has already sent for reinforcements. Don't worry, Sin. There will be another opportunity to attack Liu Bei."

Get Sin regained his composure. Standing up tall and straight, his face determined and his voice confident. "And next time, we will NOT hesitate!"

Both Lu Meng and Sun Quan nodded slightly, and Get Sin walked out of the room.

Get Sin walked angrily down the hallway, his mind cluttered with frustrating thoughts. The way he was nothing could have distracted him, yet he broke out of his trance at the sound a low muffled sobs. Following the sound, he came to Sun Shang Xiang's door. He knocked on it lightly. He could hear the sound of panicked movement in side before he talked.

"Shang?"

The answer that came back was weak and sad. "yeah"

Get Sin slowly opened the door, and found Shang Xiang sitting cross legged on her bed, hugging a large red pillow. The look of her face and the marks on the pillow, made it obvious that she had been crying. Get Sin gently walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. He placed a comforting hand on her back and rubbed it gently.

"How ya doing?"

Shang Xiang didn't answer at first, she hesitated, and sobbed a coupled of before answering sadly. "I don't know. It's just that...I can't believe he's gone...I've known him just about as long as I can remember, he was more like a brother than a friend. But now..." Get Sin could see the tears welling up in her eyes. He reached his arm around her and pulled her into a hug, she rested her head on his shoulder. "My father once told me...that...as long as Zhou Yu or Sun Ce were alive I would be alright. Zhou Yu always stood up for me when I couldn't, he always protected me, now...Quan would never stand up to my mother...I know it's not right for me to be thinking of myself right now but I just...just..."

Shang Xiang couldn't hold back anymore, she suddenly started crying on Get Sin's shoulder. Get Sin brought his other arm around and placed it on the back of her head, and held onto the crying girl eventighter. As he held her fragile, shuddering form he could nothelp but feel different about her. He could smell the intoxicating scent of her perfume and hair, and his feelings for her started to grow.

"Shang...you don't have to be afraid. Your father never met me, and I promise I will do everything in my power to protect you."

Sun Shang Xiang looked up at her new protector. She was met by his soft brown eyes staring right back at her. She started to blush, but she didn't really care. She felt safe, like she could be herself. She wanted desperately just to let out all her feelings, just to get it over with, but she held herself back. She looked away from his gaze, but kept her head resting on his shoulder. They stayed there together for a few minutes as Shang Xiang started to calm down.

"Let's not talk of this anymore, we should go see Xiao. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you."

Sun Shang Xiang quietly nodded, as Get Sin stood up. He offered her a hand and she accepted. He let her lean onto his shoulder as his arm remained at her waist, keeping her close. Together they slowly walked towards Xiao's room.

(Xiao's Room)

Da Qiao quietly opened the door, walking out the into the hallway. She turned back around and lightly closed the door.

"How's she doin?" A voice asked from behind her.

She was startled at first, but as she turned around and saw who it was, she smiled slightly. She walked over to Gan Ning and wrapped her arms around his back, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his chest. He in turn embraced her in a hug, holding her tightly.

"She's still crying, I don't think she'll be okay for a while...I wish I could do something more for her."

"We are all here for her, to help her through this, that's all we really can do." Ning answered comfortingly.

"I know, it just..." Da took in a deep breath, she looked up into Ning's eyes and smiled. "Maybe you should go and talk to her. Your better than you think at this kind of stuff."

Ning smiled back as looked down at the girl. He was about to answer when the couple noticed the sound of another couple pairs of feet coming slowly down the hallway. They separated quickly. Had they been not been so embarrassed, they may have seen the other pair op people separate quickly as well. Get Sin and Sun Shang Xiang slowly came up to them. None of them said anything. After standing almost completely still, they made a silent agreement. Da was the first, she opened the door and walked in, followed closely by three other friends. They wanted to do everything they could to help.

AN: Ok, i hate to do this but I'm desperate. I'm not going to continue unless I get at least 4 reviews (please). So if you like this story, please leave a little review.


	16. Chapter 16 Moving On

AN: I've decided to skip a few chapters, this one is just an overview chapter that blows through a lot of the story. I was going to include another battle but I thought this story was getting a bit long. If you care, the basic gist of the battle was going to be: Hsuing-Nu attack in the north, Get Sin uses a new strategy to beat them, when victory seems near a large number of of infantry comes, with the help from Lu Xun, Xiao Qiao, SSX, and a few others, Get Sin holds them off long enough to win. I'm putting it in one of my other stories, so if you want to read them it'll be there. This will cut out about 3 chapters, I'm thinking the story will be about 23 or 24 chapters. Hope you enjoy and please review.

Chapter 16 "Moving On"

Two weeks went by. Two horrible weeks for anyone in the Kingdom of Wu. Mourning ceremonies went on everyday, and a smile wasn't seen throughout the whole kingdom.

Xiao Qiao eventually did get better. She reverted back to something like her former self, she was as sociable and cheery as she ever was. But everyone could see that this was just a cover up to hide her true feelings, her muffled cries could still be heard during most nights. No one believed she would ever return to the way she was.

The Wu army eventually fell back to Xia Kou. Their western border was secured, Sun Quan fell back to Jian Ye. The rest of the army was split to guard both of their fronts. Gan Ning and Get Sin were split. Ning remained in Xia Kou, with Lu Meng, while Sin was sent northeast back to Ru Xu Kou to reinforce Lu Su, along with Zhou Tai and Xu Sheng. Sun Shang Xiang, even though she was ordered back to the capital, found a way out and followed Get Sin to the North. Da Qiao, for reasons unknown to most, decided to stay in Xia Kou, while Xiao Qiao, not wanting to be separated from both her sister and her best friend but not wanting to remain so close to where she had lost her love, went with Shang Xiang.

While Gan Ning sat watching over the tenuous but silent western front, Get Sin made his way to the war torn battlefields of the northern front. He decided he would take all of his frustrations out on the Wei armies. Together with Lu Su, and the other generals, they defeated army after army that tried to cross the Great River. Imperial and barbarian generals alike fell before the might and strategy of the Wu army, not once were they successful in crossing the river. After three months of battle, Cao Cao finally called for a truce and the northern boundary was secured.

Delighted with the events that had occurred in the North, Sun Quan called for a 3 week long celebration banquet for his generals. He himself went to Ru Xu Kou to join in the festivities. The party was all planned, entertainers and other things were booked, and everyone was set to attend.

Sun Shang Xiang quickly changed out of her usual outfit and into her one red silk dress that she, for reasons she didn't want to admit, had just started to carry around with her. Before heading out she took a moment and thought. These past few months had gone by so fast, and, without Ning, she had spent so much time with Get Sin. Yet still they were nowhere. It was getting to the point where it was almost unbearable. 'Something has to happen', thats exactly what she had been thinking each time they were together, yet nothing happened. Every time they separated without any success it felt as though her heart was ripped out. This time she decided she wound try not to expect too much, she snapped herself out of her trance and walked out from the curtain.

"Hey! Your wearing a dress!...I didn't even have to force you!" Xiao Qiao squealed from her seat. Xiao had clung to Shang Xiang for the last few months. Shang Xiang had very little alone time, if she was not with Get Sin or with both of them, she was with Xiao.

"um...yeah, so what!"

"Nothing, I'm just so happy that your finally becoming a girl." Xiao looked her up and down and smiled mischievously, "and I'm sure he'll think you look good too." She said quietly as she turned to walk away.

"Hey wait, what you just say?"

"Nothing." Xiao quickly answered, she tried to change the subject. "Hey, isn't that the same dress you wore to the Chi Bi party."

Sun Shang Xiang looked down at the dress, pretending to try and think about it. She knew it was but she didn't want to admit it. "Yeah, I think so."

"Yep, that's what I thought. You know just because you've already tested and proven that one, doesn't mean it's the only one you can wear." Xiao bounded into the closet, she reemerged a few minutes later with a green dress. "Like how about this one? It's cute."

Shang Xiang looked at it a bit disgusted, "Na, I don't really like green."

Xiao Qiao gave up, "Fine, let's just go." She threw the dress back in the closet and ran out into the hallway.

Sun Shang Xiang joined her and together they walked toward the banquet hall. They passed by Get Sin's room and Shang Xiang found her self lingering on it for too long. Even though she told herself not to, she couldn't help but get the feeling that something was going to happen that night. Something that would change her life.

AN: That was a really short chapter, but the next one is probably be pretty long. So, im not guaranteeing that I'll be able to update on schedule. Anyway, this chapter had some foreshadowing in it, the romance and conflict stuff is coming up. Please review.


	17. Chapter 17 The After Party

AN: Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been sick the last couple of weeks (its called writer's block, and the only cure is more reviews. HA!) But seriously some reviews would make me feel a little better. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 17 "The After Party"

Sun Shang Xiang had been in Wu all of her life. She had been to hundreds of banquets and had seen thousands of men drink their fill, or more, of wine. She had seen so many that she had become an expert on them. Every person she had ever seen drunk, were placed into different categories. The first category that she had ever thought up was the lady's man drunk. Her oldest brother Sun Ce was the best example and inspiration of this category. She still remembers when she threw up because he hit on her in one of his many drunken bouts. Another category was the invincible drunk, its largest figure was the little young Lu Xun. The few times she had seen him drunk she saw him running around performing every stunt he could think of, these night usually ended with him in the hospital with severe burns. Another fun to watch group is the fight club group, this group was headed by the usually calm Zhou Yu and the usually wise Lu Meng. One of the funnest banquets she had ever been to was one years ago, when both Zhou Yu and Lu Meng had drank a little too much. The party had been kind of lame so people wanted to see some action, no one intervened and the two fought each other all night. One of the worst categories she had seen was break-things drunk, Taishi Ci breaks everything insight whenever he gets drunk. Her worst night ever had been the night Taishi Ci had gotten away from the party and wrecked every single room he went, even Shang Xiang's favorite weapon's room. Another dangerous, actually more scary, category was the explosive drunk, Huang Gai and Zhou Tai were the mainstay in this group. These guys, most of the time, would drink extremely large amounts of wine and they would never seem to change. But every once in a while, like a brooding volcano, these two would explode in a drunken fury. The bouts were so bad that everybody, even Gan Ning, would be discouraged from drinking for weeks on end. Her other brother Sun Quan falls into the category of lightweights. Whenever he gets drunk, pretty much whenever he drinks, he always makes a fool of himself, throwing up, dancing, singing, and ending up asleep in the bathroom. That's probably the reason why he stopped drinking when he became ruler. There are many other categories in Shang Xiang's life, like Ling Tong and his constant screaming and yelling, but we got to get back to the story.

Before Get Sin had not seemed like the kind to drink too much, but that night was different. For reasons unknown to Shang Xiang, Get Sin drank way too much. Whether it was the fact Ning wasn't there or whether it was that he was a bit over zealous, it didn't matter now. He had become a bit too much for the party and Sun Quan asked that someone take him to his room before anything could happen. Before Sun Shang Xiang could think about whether she should or shouldn't she already found herself practically carrying him back to his room. Luckily for her Get Sin was her favorite kind of drunk, the over-compassionate category. Her father used to be this kind, as well as Gan Ning.

It was already pretty late but the halls and rooms were all almost completely empty. She walked slowly, supporting a large portion of Get Sin's weight.

"You know what" Get Sin started, his words slurred in his drunken stupor. "You have...a very pretty foot. See look, yo...you got to see it! Look!...There it is!...There it is!...There it is!..."

Sun Shang Xiang rolled her eyes, it was starting to get a bit annoying. "Sin, please just stop talking." They finally came to Get Sin's room. Shang Xiang opened the door quickly. "Here we are."

Get Sin stopped her before they went in and tried to back away from her, "Wait! I can..._burp_.I can...walk." Shang Xiang let go of him, and he stood completely still for a minute. Slowly he started to lean forward and sway side to side. Shang Xiang moved quickly to catch him if he fell, but he never did. "See" Standing himself backup, he suddenly fell straight backwards. Recovering quickly from the shock, Get Sin sat up and stuck out his arm. "Woah...woah...are..are you alright?"

Shang Xiang looked at him for a second, then took a deep breath. "Yeah...I'm fine...thanks."

Sun Shang Xiang reached down and picked him up. This time, she kept holding him until they made it to his bed. He plopped himself down on the bed.

"Wha...what are we doing in here...It's so quiet here...there's nothing to...ummmm...there's nothing to...ummmm...ugh what's that word...DO!"

Shang Xiang quietly closed the door, then turned back to her drunken friend. He was laying innocently on the bed. He had not yet stopped talking, but she had stopped listening a long time ago. She took a look around the dark empty room, then suddenly a thought came to mind. 'We're all alone, and he probably won't remember this.' Thoughts kept going through her mind. Things that many would not approve of.

She moved closer to him. She was now right next to the bed. He still lay there, looking up at the ceiling, yapping about dolphins or something. She looked him for a while. Through all her thoughts and urges, like light through darkness, came a voice. It was Xiao's voice, and it kept repeating what she had told her before the party. 'Just don't do anything stupid...Just don't do anything stupid..." At first the voice was loud. It brought her back to reality, and she took a step back. She started to turn back, and took one last look at Get Sin. She remembered the last couple of months, all that they had been through, all they had done. The voice gradually became lower, as she once again stepped forward. It was decided now, nothing could stop her now.

She moved next to the bed, and looked down at Get Sin. He was still talking but she would soon shut him up. She adjusted her headband to move the hair out of her eyes, then slowly started to descend. She ignored all his words as she decreased the distance between them. She got within two inches of his face, then hesitated for a moment. He had now stopped talking and his eyes were closed, but she just decided to ignore him. She took one last deep breath, then pushed herself forward. Their lips touched, ever so lightly, but the impact of it was bigger than she could ever imagine. A shudder of fear and regret went through her but she brushed it off. She never new something could feel so good. Right when she thought it couldn't get better, she realized Sin was kissing her back and had even reached his arms around her. She started to kiss harder. She felt as though she could fly. Her stomach felt strange, a feeling she had never felt before. She thought this was it, she had finally found it, the thing she had heard so much about but never knew exactly what it was. She was finally in love. Nothing could ruin this for her, it was the happiest moment of her life.

The kiss had gone on, for what felt like, an eternity, but she didn't want to stop. If she could she would stay like this forever. But as time went she started to feel something different. He had stopped kissing her and his hands had gone limp. Even with this she kept kissing him for a bit more, but she couldn't ignore it anymore. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Slowly backing away from him, his arms still around her neck, she realized that he had fallen asleep. The shock suddenly brought her back to her senses. She thought about what she was doing, and she realized that it could never happen. Besides, being in love, doesn't really matter unless the feelings are returned. Sin wasn't in love with her, he was just drunk. Tears started to well up inside her, she felt ashamed of herself. She wrenched herself out of his hold, losing her headband in the process. On the brink of breaking down, she ran, crying, out of the room. Knocking over objects on her way out. She ran down the hall, trying the best she could not to attract attention. She entered her room, locked the door, and hid from the world. She lost all hope, there was no point anymore. It was all over.

AN: I'll try and get back on schedule with my updates. But i need some more reviews, so please just leave a little review for me.


	18. Chapter 18 The Plan

AN: Thanks for the reviews, they really help me out a lot. Here's another chapter, sorry it took me so long I've been sick. Anyway, hope you enjoy and please leave a review.

Chapter 18 "The Plan"

"Come on, rise and shine sleepy head!" Xiao Qiao threw open the curtains, allowing bright rays of sunshine to come streaming in.

Get Sin was immediately awoken from his sleep. Breathing heavily, he quickly rose from his bed. As he sat up, he felt the pain in his head, and fell straight back down in agony.

"Oh my god! My head is pulsing...aaaahhh...feels likes its goin to split open."

"Well that's what happens when you drink way too much!"

"Hey, don't yell so loud. Besides it was you who kept bringing me more wine...or was it...who...wait...ummm...I can't even remember anymore!" Sin brought his hands up to his head, a red headband was wrapped around his wrist. He held it up and looked at it. "Hey whats this some kind of...ummmm...some kind...oh God! I can't even think."

Xiao walked over and wretched the headband away from Sin. "Hey, this is Shang's."

"Why do I have it? Geez...what happened last night?"

Xiao thought for a second. Making up explanations in her mind she laughed to herself. "I'm gonna go find out. I left some food for you on the table, and please take a bath or something. You smell gross."

Xiao left Sin, still groaning in his bed, and walked down the hallway. The kept thinking up different stories and couldn't help laughing out loud. The excitement started to grow stronger as she started to skip faster down the hall. She reached Sun Shang Xiang's room, and didn't even bother to knock.

"Hello, hello, hello." Her presence went unheeded. Sun Shang Xiang was running around desperately looking for something. There was also another woman in there, looking as well. She was tall and slim like Shang Xiang, but she had long brown hair and wore an elegant dress. It took a moment, but Xiao remembered who she was. "Hey. HEY!"

Shang Xiang finally noticed her there, "oh, hey Xiao." She went back to frantically searching.

Xiao turned to the other woman. "Hey Shi Rong, long time no see. How's it going?"

The woman turned to Xiao and smiled, "Hey Xiao. I'm ok. How are you doing? I'm sorry about what happened the Yu."

Xiao interrupted her before she could continue. "Don't worry, I'm..I'm fine...Hey, what have you been doing, I haven't seen you in so long."

"I just had some family problems that needed to be taken care of."

A pillow flew through the air just missing Xiao's head. "All this catching up is good and all, but would either of you like to HELP ME!" She turned around and started to tear apart a pile of dirty clothes. "I can't find my..."

"Headband" Xiao finished for her, holding the headband up like a piece of meat.

Shang Xiang pounced on it. "You found it." She turned around and held it close, as she inspected it. "Where did you find it?"

"In Sin's room" Xiao answered with an evil smile.

Shang Xiang froze and cringed when she heard. She turned around back to Xiao Qiao and Shi Rong, with a weak, nervous smile. "Hey Rong, do you mind getting me something to drink, please." She asked desperately.

Shi Rong got the message, "No problem." She left quietly.

Sun Shang Xiang turned around to a smiling Xiao Qiao. Xiao looked straight at her, and started to nod her head, "Oh yeah, we got something to talk about."

Get Sin had let the day pass by pretty lazily. After taking a bath and eating breakfast, he laid completely still in bed. He found this was the only way to make the pain decrease a bit, at least for a while. When the pain had finally become a bit less intense he decided he should go out and see what was going on. After walking around a bit talking with different generals and advisers, he realized he had not seen Sun Shang Xiang yet. This was odd considering that usually she was the one that usually would find him. He went looking for her, and after several attempts to get into contact her, he started to think she was trying to avoid him. They would make eye contact, but the second Get Sin looked away she would disappear, or she would always have to do something else. The whole day went by without a word between the two.

It was now dark, and the party was about to start soon. Get Sin decided to make one last visit to Sun Shang Xiang's room before returning to his own. Making his way down the hall he met two female figures coming toward him. One he easily identified as Xiao Qiao, the other was harder. A tall, slender form, his first thought was Shang Xiang, but it turned out to be someone he didn't even know.

"Hey Sin, how ya feeling?" Xiao asked cheerfully.

"As good as I think I could." Get Sin answered giving Xiao a weak smile.

"ah-huh. Anyway, I got someone for you to meet. Get Sin this is Shi Rong, Shi Rong this is Get Sin."

Get Sin looked over this new woman. She seemed in her mid-twenties, tall and slender as he had seen before, she resembled Shang Xiang in almost every way, except her hair and clothes. He long hair was up in a ponytail, and she wore a beautiful red and pink dress.

"Its a pleasure to meet you Lady Shi."

"Oh, please no honorables, Rong is just fine. It is a pleasure to finally meet you as well, Lord Sin."

"Sin is fine for me as well."

"Rong has been the captain of Shang Xiang's royal guards for over ten years now. You know what that means right?" Xiao Qiao leaned forward as a grin grew wide on her face. "She's got so many Shang Xiang stories, we can bust on her for years with the stuff she's got."

"Hey speaking of Sun Shang Xiang, have you seen here today? Is she mad at me or something?"

After hearing the question, Xiao Qiao and Shi Rong both looked at each other. Sin could see that they were both amused, and they were both trying to suppress their laughter.

"I don't quite think she mad at you. I think it might be something different." Xiao Qiao continued. "You should ask her that though, its not really my place to say."

"But I can't even talk to her, I think she's trying to avoid me or something."

"Come on Sin, don't tell me your giving up so easily. I've heard of your exploits, you should approach this like it was a battle." Shi Rong added.

With these last statement Xiao and Rong walked around Sin as they started to giggle amongst themselves. Sin didn't bother to pay them any attention. He changed his original plan. He walked back to his room and thought, but nothing really came up. Walking to his bathroom, he tripped over a bottle. Reaching down and picking it up he realized it had been a wine bottle from the night before. Suddenly it hit him.

"Ok, so that's the plan."

AN: I swear my chapters get shorter and shorter each time. I meant to introduce Shi Rong into the story chapters ago but for some reason (I'm LAZY!) I didn't. She won't play a major part in the last bit of story, but she's still important. Please leave a review, they are more important to me than you think.


	19. Chapter 19 Finally

AN: Sorry for the long wait, I've been pretty much dead for the last two weeks(playing a crapload of Battlefield 2 online). Anyway thanks for all the reviews, and please keep them coming. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 19 "Finally"

The rest of the day went by with not much else happening. The sun went down, and the second days's party started. Get Sin made more fruitless attempts to talk to Sun Shang Xiang, but she always evaded him. Avoiding him at every turn, and sending other maids to serve his table. Seemingly giving up, Get Sin once again became drunk, and once again Sun Shang Xiang found herself helping him back down the hall. As they walked, Get Sin didn't say a word. This made Sun Shang Xiang suspicious, but as they made it to his door, she cast it aside. Opening the door, she allowed him to enter by himself. He swerved around in his drunken stupor, making his way toward the window.

Sun Shang Xiang stood in the doorway, looking in. She just wanted to get out of there before she did anything else. She was already ashamed of herself, and she didn't want to make it any worse, yet she couldn't get herself to leave. Torn between two options, she remained standing in the doorway in a daze.

Get Sin, after much effort, made it to the window. He leaned half his body out the window, and looked 100 feet down to the stables. "Hey, I can see my horsey...Hey horsey!...You okay?"

As he spoke, his feet left the ground, as he started to fall through the window. Sun Shang Xiang broke out of her trance, and made a mad dash toward the window, knocking over everything in her path. Just as she reached the window Get Sin brought his hands back up and pulled himself in.

"Haha, got ya." He said drunkenly laughing and walking away.

As she looked at him with a blank face, she saw something she hadn't seen. She had looked at Get Sin's face and saw that his eyes weren't and his face wasn't flushed. Watching him walk, she realized that, even though he walked like he was drunk, the rest of his body movements looked normal. She had been around drunks for a long time, so she was able to put two and two togethor.

"Wait a minute. Your not drunk!" She grabbed his arm and turned him toward her.

"Darn, you caught me. I overacted it didn't I?"

Sun Shang Xiang felt more like she had been betrayed rather than just tricked, and it showed on her face. "Wha...Why?"

Sin stopped laughing when he saw the look on his friends face. "Ohh. Shang Xiang its just...I just needed to talk to you. I've been trying all day, its almost like your trying to avoid me." Shang Xiang suddenly remembered the situation she was in, and the shame hit her again. She couldn't stand to look at him so she turned her face away. Sin saw it, and his voice became apologetic. "Shang Xiang if I did something last night that I shouldn't have, please tell. I...I really can't remember anything from last night. If there is anything..."

Sun Shang Xiang had stopped listening. As much as she wanted to just run out of the room, she couldn't. A small voice in her telling her just to say it, and as she thought that voice grew louder and louder. For some reason, her eyes started to well up. She kept trying to think of a way out but nothing came to mind. As she started to give in, that little voice grew louder and louder. It finally took over as she just blurted it out. "I LOVE YOU!"

"...then at least I can...whaaa...heh..." Get Sin was completely taken by surprise. A look of utter confusion took over his face. It took him a second to really take in this new information and react.

To a very emotionally fragile Sun Shang Xiang, a second was way too long. Jumping to conclusions, she burst out in tears and ran out of the room. Leaving a still confused Get Sin standing by himself.

"...wait...um...Shang...oh crap, I messed up."

The halls were now almost completely dark. The only bit of light, was the occasional ray of moonlight coming in through a window. The party had long since ended, but Get Sin kept searching. He had to find her, there were no other way. He had looked through every room, but he kept on looking. As he walked down the hallway, he shut his eyes to at least give them a rest. Walking now completely blind, he suddenly bumped into somebody.

"ooh, I'm sorry. I was..." He opened his eyes to find Sun Shang Xiang standing in front of him, her body and face illuminated in a ray of moonlight. She looked like a scared kitten as she looked at him, and just as quickly as she came, she fled back into the darkness.

Get Sin reacted quickly, he made a blind grab into the darkness. He was somehow able to catch her arm, and used it to pull her back into the light. And there they were, Get Sin was holding onto a squirming Sun Shang Xiang, it was the middle of the night and the only source of light was the soft rays of moonlight streaming in through the window.

"Shang Xiang wait. I need to talk to you." She kept trying to pry her way out of his grip, but Get Sin strengthened his hold to make sure she didn't get away. "Just wait a sec, ok. Let me just say something than you can go. You...you caught me by surprise back there. I really didn't...expect that...you would..." She had finally stopped squirming but she still didn't look at him. "Shang Xiang...I love you. I don't know if you really meant it before or not but I do."

Sun Shang Xiang finally looked up at him. Get Sin let go of his hold around her but she didn't move. The two just stood there and looked into each others eyes. They both could tell that the other meant it. Get Sin was the first to move. He slowly started to lean his head towards hers, he stopped halfway and looked at her. She still looked scared but not in a bad way. They were once again stuck just looking at each other again, for what seemed like a lifetime. Finally something snapped, the both of them closed their eyes and met half way. They were finally together and this time it was for real. Neither of them wanted to stop, they stood there in the middle of the hallway. It wasn't until they were interrupted did they stop. They heard a large crash as plates hit the ground. They separated, to find Shi Rong standing in front of them. Her hand covered her mouth and her eyes were wide open.

"I'm sorry...my lady...I..." Shi Rong just stopped herself, turned around and walked briskly away.

Get Sin and Sun Shang Xiang looked back to one another, Get Sin leaned in again but he was stopped by a slim finger on his lips.

"Wait I want to ask you something before we continue. Do you mind if we kept this a secret just for a little? I want to enjoy it for a while before I have to deal with...that."

"Yeah sure, but do you think she'll tell anyone." They both looked down the hall at Shi Rong's retreating figure.

"Na, she may tell Xiao but I'm sure she'll find out sooner or later."

They both looked back at each other and smiled.

And so they were finally a couple. For the next three weeks they spent the nights together. Using Get Sin's newfound drunkenness as an excuse and employing the involuntary help of Shi Rong, they were able to keep the affair secret. But as time went by and the parties ended, the lovers became bolder. Going out in the early morning and continuing their romance in areas they felt were secure enough.

It was on one of these trips that they messed up. Sitting in the soft grass on a warm sunny day, the pair sat together looking over the beautiful scenery. They were so content together they didn't een seem to care who or what saw them. They didn't even see the large ornate carriage, that had come to a halt not far away from them.

The carriage had come around the corner, as the couple came into view, it was called to an immediate stop. Two eyes peered out of the carriages dark inards, looking at the two lovers.

"Darn that Quan, I knew I shouldn't of entrusted him with this task."

"What will we do, my lady?"

"I have a plan, it may seem kind of cruel but it's for the best." The eyes turned to one of the figures in the carriage. "You know what to do, go immediately. I will go to Ru Xu Kou and finish the plans there."

A man emerged from the carriage, taking one of the horses, he immediately started heading west. The eyes looked back at the couple and squinted evilly as the peaceful couple kissed.

"I can't have this happening to my family."

AN: I feel like I kind of rushed the second half. Hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review.


	20. Chapter 20 A Turn for the Worst

AN: Ok here's another chapter. I've been so busy lately, it's hard to get time to write. So, I'm sitting here watching Braves TBS Baseball as I type, if I suddenly type in "Yeah Chipper that's what I'm freaking talking about!" or something like that, don't worryI'm not going crazy. Hope you enjoy the chapter, thanks for the reviews, and please leave another one if you could.

Chapter 20 "A Turn for the Worst"

Get Sin and Sun Shang Xiang started back just before noon. Reaching the city gate, they stopped. Leaning over on their horses, their lips met. Shang Xiang felt a blissful melting and she could feel herself trembling. She couldn't even imagine how many times they had done this over the last few weeks, yet it still felt like it was their first kiss. They parted finally, Sin had his arm firmly around her shoulder and she as well had attached herself to his waist. Resting her head on his chest, she could hear the pounding of his heart. She closed her eyes and breathed contently.

"I can't even remember what it was like before this." No answer came from her companion. Looking up, she saw Sin looking out into the distance, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

Sin looked back down to Shang Xiang, then looked back up. "...It's just...we're going to go in there and..."

Shang Xiang put her head back down on his chest. "I know and I'm sorry. I just...can't deal with it now. You don't know how big of a deal they'll make it."

Sin gently lifted Shang Xiang's head up to his and spoke, smiling and looking directly into her eyes. "I guess it's ok, as long as I can be with you."

Sun Shang Xiang smiled back at him, "Wow, that was kind of corny."

"Hey, the situation called for a corny comment."

They left the conversation at that. Kissing one final time, they separated. Sun Shang Xiang went in first. Moving quickly, she left her horse in the stables then walked into the main hall. There she met her brother, Sun Quan, talking something over with Zhou Tai.

"Good Morning Brother, Lord Tai. Beautiful day isn't it?" She said cheerily, as she skipped past them.

Sun Quan watching his sister curiously as she went towards the kitchen. "Yes, Shang Xiang. It is." He looked back to Zhou Tai for an explanation, but Zhou Tai just shook his head and turned back to their work.

Sun Shang Xiang made her way into the kitchen. She hummed happily to herself, as she moved around looking for different things to eat. She was searching through a cabinet when someone spike behind her.

"And what exactly are you so happy about?"

She immediately knew who it was. "Well I heard you had died, so I was going to celebrate..." She turned around to the smiling figures of Gan Ning and Da Qiao. "Oh Da, it's you too." She put down the plate she had and hugged Da. "I thought it was just that filthy pirate." She smiled playfully at Gan Ning.

Ning pretended to be offended. "Ok, fine. Da, I was going to keep it a secret, but I'm not sure now."

Da turned around quickly, and slapped Ning on the arm. "Ning!"

Shang Xiang looked curiously at the couple, "Wait, what secret?"

Da Qiao turned back to Sun Shang Xiang, "Nothing. Don't listen to him, he's just angry because I haven't let him drink for the last two weeks."

"Wait, so are you two..."

Da put her hand in Ning's, then the two held up their joined hands. "Yup."

"Really! That's awesome!" Shang Xiang exclaimed.

As they spoke Shi Rong came up behind Shang Xiang, she had a low and sad look on her face. "Excuse me Lady Sun, you are being summoned to the assembly hall."

Shang Xiang turned to Shi Rong and, seeing her sad look, questioned her. "Lady Sun? Rong, what's the matter?"

"Please just come with me." Shi Rong didn't even acknowledge Gan Ning's and Da Qiao's presence. She slowly started to walk back the way she came.

Shang Xiang watched her old friend with a worried face. "Guys, I'll...I'll talk to you later." She didn't wait for an answer. She quickly walked after Shi Rong's retreating form.

Get Sin waited outside for a while. When he felt the time was right, he followed her path in. Walking into the main hall, he spotted two figures about to move of the steps. A large grin grew on his face.

"Well, well. Did you miss me that much."

Gan Ning and Da Qiao turned around to Get Sin.

"Sin, it's about time you got back." Gan Ning said as he clasped his brothers hand.

"Lady Qiao, it's a pleasure to see you again, as well."

"Please Sin, no titles will be needed. We may soon be as close as brother and sister."

The couple smiled at each other, as Get Sin looked on, completely confused.

"What?"

"Brother, I...we have some big news. Me and Da...have decided to get married."

"Are you serious? That's incredible!"

"I know isn't it. Da will be your sister in law...or...she'll be something like that."

Da wrapped her arm around Ning's arm, and spoke a little lower. "But don't tell anyone yet. We haven't really made any plans or arrangements. Your actually the first person we're telling this, not even Xiao or Shang Xiang know yet."

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone. But this is great!"

Gan Ning decided to change the subject a little bit. "So, how about you and your relationship."

"What?"

"Come on Sin, Ning and I heard how the two of you have been going out on 'patrol' together, for the last two weeks."

"I don't know what you guys are talking..."

"Sin, just give in. We already know, it's written all over your face, you don't have to hide it." Ning interrupted.

Sin looked at his two interrogators. He could see that neither of them was joking. He gave up. "Am I really that obvious?"

"Na, don't worry about it. We knew long before you came. Xiao told us."

"Darn that Xiao. You know, we haven't even really told her yet either. And please, both of you, you can't tell anyone. Shang Xiang wants to keep this quiet for a while."

"No problem Sin. Speaking of Shang Xiang, I'm gonna go try and find her. I wanna see if I can get her to tell me. Don't you boys get into any trouble while I'm gone." Da detached herself from Ning and, after a quick kiss, went bounding up the stairs.

After watching Da walk gracefully up the steps, Gan Ning turned back to his brother. "So, you and Shang Xiang huh?"

"And you and Da Qiao." Get Sin countered.

The both of them looked up the stairs, and took a deep, content breath.

Ning put a hand on Sin's shoulder and spoke. "Remember this day little brother, because today...life is good." They stood there for a while, in silence. Ning was the first to speak. "Hey you remember what we used to do as kids. Ya know, when we used to go down by the river..."

"Yeah, yeah. We used to take our bow and arrows, and lie down on branches over the water..." The two started to get a bit over excited as they remembered their good times.

"Yeah, and we would shoot fish, right out of the water..."

"Then we used to cook them and eat them right their on the shore..."

"...and we would end up drunk and fall asleep in the mud."

"Yeah!...wait...I don't remember that."

"I kinda just added that part on the way here. But we should go and do that again right now."

"Come on Ning, that's kind of a childish thing to do."

"No way man. Look, it helps with our marksmanship as well as quickening our reaction time. It's perfect. I already got a couple of bows prepared."

Gan Ning didn't wait for an answer, he already started to move, calling for Sin to follow. They made their way into the kitchen.

"First thing we gotta do is get some wine." He made his way to the large, locked cabinet.

"Ning, it's not even noon yet."

"So?"

"Never mind."

"Come on, it's my treat." Ning pulled a pick out of his pocket, and used it to remove the lock.

"Something tells me it's not your treat to give."

The two took about four jugs of wine, and made their way to Ning's room. On the way, Ning already started to drink his fill. By the time they reached his room, he had already downed one jug. Sin could already see Ning was already a bit drunk.

"Ok, you wait here. I go in there, and you'll be...here." He disappeared into his room, holding a large jug of wine.

Get Sin waited for Ning for, what seemed, a long time. He finally got tired and walked into the room to find out what happened. Inside, he found Ning collapsed on top of his bed, fast asleep. Leaving the rest of the jugs there, he started back down the hall. Closing his eyes, he was walking undisturbed, until a strange sound shook him back to his senses. He looked around and listened. The sound came again. It was a light knocking sound, with a slow repetition. It seemed to be coming from the dark room to his right. Looking over the doorway, he realized he had never been in that room before, the door had always been locked.

He walked into the room slowly and cautiously. He made his way to the opposite side of the room, where he found a open window looking out from the dark side of the fortress. He let out a sigh of relief, closed the window, and started his way back. He was halfway across the room, when he felt a sudden pain to the back of his head. He fell down onto his hands and knees, his eyes closed and his teeth cringed in pain. He opened his eyes, and slowly reached his hand behind his head. His hair was caked in a think liquid. He brought his hand back to his face, and saw it was covered in his blood.

"Ouch..." That was all he could get out. Something hit the back of his head again. This time he fell completely flat and the world around him went completely black.

AN: Please leave a review.


	21. Chapter 21 Again

AN: Sorry, I think I was running up on 5 weeks now. I had finals a few weeks ago, and I always need a few weeks to get it all out of my head (especially all the math stuff, all the logarithmic functions, linear regression, and...HOLY CRAP IT'S STILL ALL IN THERE) Anyway here's a new chapter, it's short but hey at least it broke my bad streak. Please leave a review and hope you enjoy.

Chapter 21 "Again"

Sun Shang Xiang followed Shi Rong quietly. They walked slowly, neither of them saying a thing. They made their way down the halls to the main throne room. Shi Rong opened the door, and stood aside so Shang Xiang could enter. Shang Xiang turned to talk to her but she found the door already shut.

She turned around and looked cautiously around the room. When she saw who was in there she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mother, what are you doing here?" Even though she was glad to see her mother, she was worried by her sudden visit.

Wu Guo Tai looked up from the papers, she and her son, Sun Quan, had been looking at. "ahhh, there she is. My only daughter." She outstretched her arms and waited for Shang Xiang's hug.

After a brief hug, they separated and Shang Xiang questioned her mother again, "What are you doing here?"

"Actually I have a surprise for you."

"Oh yeah, it not another etiquette tutor is it?" She asked as poured herself a cup of tea.

"Even better, I found you a husband."

Shang Xiang spat out the tea she had drank and dropped her cup. "WHAT?"

"I've arranged a marriage between you and Lord Liu Bei, it is set for two weeks from now." Lady Wu looked up at her daughter and saw she still had the betrayed look on her face. "You've had enough time...it's time to grow up. Besides, not only will this provide you with a husband, but it will also create an alliance between our kingdoms."

"But..." Shang Xiang spoke weakly. She looked to her brother but he kept his head down. She looked around the room but found no one there who could support her. She looked back at her mother, who was calmly sipping her tea.

"I'm sorry Shang Xiang, but this isn't a choice."

Get Sin awoke in a dark room. The floor underneath was hard and moist and the air was stale. Feeling his head throb, he remembered what had happened. He reached for the back of his head, but he found that his hands had been chained to the ground. As his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, he looked around the room. It looked almost like a dungeon. Unused and unoccupied for many years, the bricks and floor had become grimy and dirty. Only a small barred window at the very top of the wall, allowed a little ray of moonlight in.

Get Sin was sitting there trying to figure out where he was when a door, opposite of him, opened slowly. A guard in full armor walked in, torch in hand, he checked the room then stood to one side of the door. A old woman entered. She wore well-made clothes and Get Sin could easily see she was a woman of great wealth. She walked forward a few feet, but stopped a good distance away from him. Get Sin looked up at her until she met his gaze, he looked down at the ground defiantly.

"So, you are Get Sin. The general that I've been hearing so much about. A loyal warrior, as well as a talented strategist, of the Southland, brother of Gan Ning, and..." The woman looked down at Sin, her eyes squinting almost evilly. "...secret lover of Princess Sun of Wu."

Hearing her say that made Get Sin look straight up at her, his mouth agape.

"Yes...I know." She continued. She smiled down at him. "Do you know who I am?" Get Sin looked back down and made no move to answer. "No?...Then I'll tell you. My name is Wu Guo Tai."

Get Sin was taken by surprise again, he looked back up at her in surprise.

Seeing his reaction, Wu Guo Tai laughed a little. "Yes. I am Lady Wu, soon to be Empress Dowager, I hope. Anyway, you must understand the predicament you two put me in. All the forcible tactics I've had to use, they are all for a purpose...You see, when my sister died she entrusted me with her family. Ce and Quan were old enough already to decide their own path, but I had my work cut out for me with Shang Xiang. And even after all that I've tried to do, there has been no change." She stopped for a moment and sighed. "Up till now I have been very lenient. Anything she didn't want to do, she didn't. I allowed her, her freedom. But this is where I draw the line. This relationship of yours ends today. Shang Xiang is to married to Lord Liu Bei." Get Sin did not move but his jaw tightened as her heard this. "She has excepted this, now you must. Stop thinking of yourselves for the moment, and start thinking about the bigger picture. Do you know what this will do for the kingdom? Do you think our little nation can stand alone against Cao Cao. No, but if our kingdoms are united we will survive."

Get Sin remained looking at the ground. He gave an air of confidence and determination.

Lady Wu's face became harder, "So, your still not convinced. Alright, I didn't want to have to tell you this but... it's all a lie." She started to become angry, and her calm speech became louder and louder. "Shang Xiang is very...fickle, in these types of matters. Do you truly believe this is 'love'. Some sort of fairy tale, a relatively unknown general and a princess. It sounds good, but in truth that is all it is. I'm sorry, but you are just being used." Get Sin stared to breathe harder but made no moves. "Lets just look at the facts. If this relationship is completely true and you both love each other, then why is she keeping in the dark? I'm sure you've questioned it too. And if you think it's just her position, look at Da Qiao. She is part of the royal family as well, she is even a widow. And her lover is even worse than you. Believe me I'd much sooner choose you as a son-in-law than him. Yet, even with all this, she still has brought their relationship out in public. What do you think of that?...Look it doesn't actually matter anymore how you feel? This marriage is going to happen."

With that, Wu Guo Tai turned and left, leaving a broken Get Sin behind. Left alone, Sin looked up at the small window. Change had swept over him again, and this time he was completely lost.

AN: Please leave a review.


	22. Chapter 22 Worse than Death

AN: Alright, I am incredibly sorry for how long this has taken. I've been doing so much stuff, crabbing almost every other day, soccer, golf, baseball, work, and some other stuff. Put all this together, I probably have less free time than I did during the school year. But I'm trying to get back on track, Please give me another chance. Oh, and it was my birthday a few days ago, so this will be my present to you all (wait a minute...that's not how it works). Please leave me a little review.

Chapter 22 "Worse than Death"

Two weeks went by, there was no sign of Get Sin. Sun Shang Xiang questioned everyone, her brother, officers, servants, even some peasants, but none knew anything. Her mother told her he was off on a mission, but Shang Xiang wasn't sure. His horse and weapon were still there, and his room remained untouched. She was lost without him. She didn't know what to do or who to go to, she found herself just wondering the dark halls in the middle of the night. She wasn't sure how much more of it she could take.

Her condition, though, did not delay the marriage. Wu Guo Tai made sure all the preparations were taken care of. She prepared Shang Xiang's things for the move, she made sure Liu Bei as ready for her arrival. An escort to Cheng Du was prepared, and was ready to go at anytime.

Sun Shang Xiang walked slowly down the empty hallway, her red headband held firmly in her hand. It was almost time, so everyone was outside preparing to say goodbye. She used her lasts minutes of time in the castle to visit every room. She had lived here for so long, so much of her memories were here. She had already walked through all the upper rooms and much of the lower rooms. The bedrooms, the kitchens, the dining room, the armory, all the areas she spent the most time, she visited. She was now walking down and area she did not visit too often. Coming up on a room she identified it as her mother's personal study.

The room was right underneath of her mother's bedroom, with a small stairway connecting the two. Because of this, usually the doors were locked. She walked up to just to feel wood of the door, but as she touched it the door moved and she realized it was open. Not caring about getting in trouble, she walked in.

The room wasn't very complex. A large desk in the center, bookshelves on almost every wall, lamps lit up the whole room. She walked along the perimeter, lightly dragging her hands along the books. Reaching the wall opposite the door she came upon a large portrait of her father. She looked up at him, and he confidently smiled back at her. She seemed entranced by his gaze, as she stood there staring at him.

She finally started to look down the portrait, evading his gaze by looking down at her feet. As she looked she saw something on the wall, just below the painting. It was a small handle. She reached her hand down carefully and pulled on it. Suddenly, the wall just popped open and swung open. On the other side, there was a dark staircase, spiraling downwards. Cool air rushed up and blew her hair back. She looked meekly down the dark tunnel and called quietly, "Hello". There was no answer. She looked at the backside of the open wall and found an old parchment. Looking it over, she realized it was some sort of map. She guessed this was a map of the unknown chamber, and she saw that in the lowest corner, a small room was circled in red ink.

Thinking of the worst things, she started to step down into the darkness. She was stopped suddenly as she heard the distinct sounds of her mother's footprints. She panicked, slammed the wall back into position, and, with the map still in hand, ran to door and looked out. She saw her mother coming her way. She ran too the desk and wrote something quickly. Looking down at the map, she took a deep breath, and started to quickly fold it up as fast as she could. With the map as small as she could make, she tried to find a place to hide it. She had no pockets, no bag, she tried to shove it down her dress but the bulge it created was just too visible. Then she remembered her headband. Holding it up he ripped a whole in the silk and shoved the folded map in. Just as she did this, her mother's voice surprised her from behind.

"Shang Xiang." Her mother spoke coldly, "It's time."

Sun Shang Xiang was escorted by her mother and a few guards outside to the courtyard. There, a long line of officers and servants were waiting to say their goodbyes. She moved slowly, one by one, saying goodbye to everyone. Getting to the end of the line, she came to Xiao Qiao. The two stared at each other for a minute, then after a quick tearful hug, Xiao Qiao darted off into the garden. Shang Xiang could do nothing but watch. She moved over a step to Da Qiao and Gan Ning.

"Well, I...I guess this is it then. I promise I'll be at your wedding, ok?"

The couple nodded sadly to her, and the three hugged. With her head between theirs, Sun Shang Xiang whispered to them. "I'm worried about Sin...I think something might have happened to him."

Ning pushed her back a bit so they looked face to face. "Shang Xiang just don't do this. Just stay, I'm sure we'll get through this."

Shang Xiang looked down, shaking her head, the tears finally started to come down. "No..no..I just can't...I...Maybe if he was here...but.." Shang Xiang looked up at Ning and Da, her eyes red and her voice desperate. "Please, just find him." As she said this she shoved her headband in Ning's hand.

Da Qiao reached her hand up and comfortingly placed it on Shang Xiang shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll find him."

After another quick hug, Sun Shang Xiang moved to the carriage. Standing next to the door was Shi Rong. She had convinced Lady Wu and Liu Bei to allow Shang Xiang's female guard to protect her in her new home. The two nodded slightly to each other. Shang Xiang got into the entrance of the carriage and turned back for a quick last glance. She quickly ducked into the darkness and didn't look back. The carriage started to roll slowly towards her new home. She closed all the windows, and did nothing but stare into the darkness.


	23. Chapter 23 Choices

AN: I've been on vacation the last two week, so thats the reason i took so long to update. There are only three more chapters left until the end so please hang in there and keep reading for the exciting ending. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and please keep them coming. I need motivation for the end.

Chapter 23 "Choices"

Gan Ning and Da Qiao watched as the carriage slowly faded away. Da buried her head in Ning's chest as the tears started to flow. The assembly of officers and maids started to dissipate, after awhile the only ones still there were Da and Ning.

Ning continued to look off into the distance, his jaw was tight and his voice low, "Damn it, Sin. Where the heck are you?"

His grip on Shang Xiang's headband tightened, as he did this he heard a crunching sound and felt something strange inside the band. He squished the band a few more times, before bringing his other hand from around Da's shoulder to inspect the object. Looking over it closely, he found a rip in the silk and from this small hole he pulled out a folded piece of paper. The couple looked at each other before continuing. Ning unfolded the map and they looked it over.

"What is this?" Da asked.

"I think...it's a map."

"But from where...hey...what's that say?" She asked pointed at the words scribbled in one of the lower corners.

Ning read them out loud. "Mother's study...behind father's picture."

"You think Shang is trying to tell us something?"

"Well we're going to check, whether she is or isn't."

The couple moved quickly and quietly, trying their best not to interact with anyone on there way to the study. If lady Sun caught them in there who knows what she might do, and the more people who know where they are the better chances are they'll get caught. In no time, they made it to the large double doors. Luckily, it was still open and no one was inside. They snuck in.

"Ok, so underneath...hey! What's that?" Da asked, pointing to the strange object beneath Sun Jian's portrait.

"It looks like some kind of...handle." Ning pulled the strange handle. The wall swung open, showing a dark tunnel inside. The couple looked from the hole to each other confused.

"This is what Shang Xiang must've found." Ning said, as he looked down the dark tunnel.

"You don't think Sin is down there?" Ning just turned and looked at Da, she got her answer. She moved closer to him, just looking down into the darkness made a cold shiver run through her body. "What do you think this place is?"

"Well, I think its some sort of dungeon."

"No other Wu castle have any dungeons, and how come we didn't even know about this?"

"This must be one of Shi Huangdi secret prisons." Ning looked at Da, who wore a confused expression, he explained further. "During his rein it was believed that he sent his worst political enemies to these secret prisons all over the south, where they would disappear. But none were ever found."

Da continued to look at him, confused.

"What?" He continued. "I read!"

Get Sin sat on the dirty grimy floor, motionless, his head slumped straight down. The sun had gone down and only a small ray of moonlight pierced through the darkness. He had given up, already decided to remain there he died. As he sat in his bleak surroundings, he had nothing to do but think.

'What had happened? Why it had happened? Everything has changed so fast, just as it had done so many times in the past. I envy my former self, back then at least there was still hope. I didn't know the same things or feel the same things, that I do now. Things had always gotten better, and just at the last moment would change again, leaving me in the dark. Is it me? Am I somehow too slow to keep up with life?' He started to drift in and out of consciousness. 'How could he ever recover from this? And even if he did, how long would it be until everything changes again? What's the point of trying to keep up with fate, if it just keeps changing? What is the of living if your just doomed to fall and fall? Just as war would never end, so would life's suffering's, so what's the point.'

"WHAT'S THE FREAKING POINT?" he suddenly yelled, as he slammed his fists into the hard floor.

"Sin?...Sin, is that you?"

The voice surprised him, but he didn't look up. He knew who it was.

"Sin!" Ning opened the door door into the chamber, he was followed closely by Da.

Da ran forward and bent down next to Get Sin, trying to get a look at his face, but he didn't refused. "Sin, are you alright" She asked desperately, but received no answer.

"Come on, there's still time. Lets get these chains off." Ning bent down to remove the chains on Sin's hands only to find they had already been removed. He stood up slowly and looked at him suspiciously. "Sin! SIN!" Ning voice became quiet and depressed. "So...you mean to do nothing."

Sin finally looked up, "What would you have me do?"

"I would have you get out there and go after her!" Ning yelled.

"I cannot do that."

"Why not?" Sin didn't answer. "WHY NOT?"

"BECAUSE, I WON'T FORCE HER TO MAKE THAT CHOICE!"

"What choice?"

"Come on Ning! Stop being so naive! Do you truly believe anyone could force Shang Xiang into this? NO! She made this choice, not only for herself but for her country, for her people. With this marriage not only is she gaining a husband and a good life, she is also saving her people from destruction. If I went now, it would only make her choose between me or her whole life. I cannot...I will not do that."

Ning backed away toward the door.

"But what about her feelings, what about your feelings." Da asked.

Sin stood up, "I doubt her feelings lasted that long...and my feeling don't matter anymore." He sat back down into the darkness, only his silhouette visible.

Ning motioned to Da to come. She stood up and walked to the door, taking one last look, she walked out.

Ning walked into the doorway and looked back. "It seems you have everything figured out, except one thing." He threw Shang Xiang's headband into Sin's lap. "It wasn't just her choice."

Ning slammed the door as he left.

AN: Please leave a review.


	24. Chapter 24 A New Life

AN: Alright the first thing I want to say is that it is not completely my fault that this is late. I had this chapter written out three weeks ago but the night i was going to post this, MY COMPUTER WAS STOLEN by my sister who took it with her on her vacation. Yeah, i know without even asking. Anyway, here it is. This is a very important chapter. I mean there is a start to a whole new story here. So please read it. And, as always, leave me a little review. I swear i will update in the next couple of weeks.

Chapter 24 "A New Life"

The kingdom of Wu would never be the same. It was turned into a dead graveyard, and none of its inhabitants, peasant to Emperor, was left unchanged. Wu Guo Tai eventually left and Get Sin eventually reappeared in the castle, but he had changed. He became a shadow of his former self. During the day he mostly remained in his room, he attended meetings but gave no opinions, it didn't even seem like he cared. He would return back to his room or be seen roaming the halls. He never ate any meals, prompting a worried Qiao to leave plates of food at his doorstep. These plates would disappear for days but then would somehow end up back in the kitchen.

As time went on, rumors started to spread. Within weeks anyone ,who didn't know about Sin and Shang Xiang, knew. No one ever mentioned her name in his presence, they never questioned him on his whereabouts or even asked how he was doing. The only one who ever tried to talk to him was Gan Ning, and even he never succeeded. And that's how the kingdom went on, a quiet and emotionally dead graveyard. Lu Su passed away, Sun Quan lost interest in government affairs, Ning and Da postponed their wedding for fear Get Sin wouldn't even come, even Xiao seemed quiet. There was no end for the turmoil in sight, no sun peaking through the clouds, spirits were at an all time low throughout the whole kingdom.

A half a year after the incident, Sun Quan decided to attack He Fei. Leaving only Get Sin behind in charge of Ru Xu Kou, he took every soldier he could muster. Get Sin excepted his charge without question but his attitude did not change. The battle went on and on, everyday their seemed to be a different winner. Messengers were constantly moving back and forth between the castle and the battlefield, bringing as much news as possible. The casualty numbers started to rise, Taishi Ci fell, as well as Chen Wu and Dong Xi. Their bodies were brought back to Ru Xu and Get Sin had them honorably buried. After three months of fighting a ceasefire was called, and a tattered and weary army returned home.

Sun Quan walked into the crowded meeting hall. He rubbed his eyes wearily, his steps were slow and deliberate, his was was messy and unkempt. He made his way toward his chair.

Get Sin stood in the corner, his arms crossed in front of him, as he leaned on the hard, cold wall. He looked around the room. He found himself surrounded by a lot of new faces, fresh and naive faces. Most likely just promoted from the ranks during the battle of He Fei. He looked back to Quan as he finally sat down.

"I have grown tired of these...wars. So, many lives have been lost." His head rested in his hand. "I will be returning back to Jian Ye, there will be no more fighting..." A few of the generals stood in protest, raised his hand to keep the silent. "There will be no more fighting until our domestic issues are solved!" His eyes scanned around the room, not just looking but searching. He found was he was looking for, and for what seemed an hour, his gaze was focused on Get Sin. Quan focused back to the group. "We will be moving out tom..."

There was a commotion out in the hallway, and soon a soldier came barging in. His uniform was dirty and his breath was heavy, it was obvious he had traveled far.

"My lord, I bring urgent news from Lu Xun."

"Lu Xun?" Sun Quan looked questionably at the messenger before taking the letter. He read it over carefully. As he finished he lowered the letter and spoke softly. "Lu Meng is dead, and Lu Xun is requesting reinforcements at Yi Ling." He stared at the letter confused. He looked up toward the messenger. "What happened?"

Taking a deep breath he began, "A month ago General Lu Meng saw an opportunity to take back Jing. He took a small army and with the help of Lord Lu Xun he was able to conquer almost all of Jing, he was even able to capture Guan Yu." A murmur went through the generals as they heard this but Sun Quan listened intently. "Lord Lu Meng knew Guan Yu would never leave his brother so he had him executed."

The generals started to talk amongst themselves again, this time Sun Quan raised a hand to silence them. "What happened to Lu Meng?"

"A weak ago he pasted away. We have no idea why, he just fell ill and died. Now Liu Bei is moving with an army of almost 250,000 thousand towards Wu. Lu Xun has taken command and has made his headquarters at Yi Ling."

"All right, time is short. Get every soldier we can spare and get them ready. We leave tonight."

The generals all ran off in a panic to get ready, and soon they were moving. Marching on the double for almost a week straight, they made it with time to Yi Ling castle. The generals quickly went about organizing their troops and Sun Quan had a private council with Lu Xun. A day after they arrived, Sun Quan called another council.

"Before we get to the battle plan, we have something to take care of first. An envoy is coming from Shu, I need a volunteer to go and meet them."

Zhou Tai and Han Dang both stood up to volunteer. But Quan seated them with a wave of his hand. He looked around the room, and picked the one person who wasn't looking right back at him.

"Get Sin, you will go."

Get Sin sat in the back corner, his hands resting behind his neck as he looked up at the ceiling. Hearing his name called he stood up, and bowed slowly to Sun Quan. "If that is what you wish, my lord."

Gan Ning stood up from his seat to speak, "My lord, we can't just send one person. I will go as well."

"No" Sun Quan answered strongly.

"My Lord..."

"We don't have time to argue about this, Ning. Get Sin will go, Alone!" Quan turned back Get Sin, "Sin, the sentry outside has a map for you."

Get Sin nodded, bowed slightly and then left. Gan Ning looked once at Sun Quan, then quickly followed Sin.

"Sin! Sin, wait!" Get Sin turned and came face to face with his brother. "Can you do this?"

"Why couldn't I?"

"We're less than two days ride from Shu, just...don't do anything stupid."

"Depends on what you mean by stupid." Sin answered emotionless.

Ning looked at him angrily, "What's wrong with you? Your acting like a little jerk. You sulk around all the time like a whipped mutt! So, one thing goes wrong and you give up...just like that!" Get Sin turned around and started walking off, Ning continued to yell at his retreating form. "You know what...GO, get yourself killed! No one cares anymore! Take your problems to the next world!"

Get Sin quickly took the map from the guard, mounted his horse, and galloped westward.

Get Sin spurned the horse on, together, the cut through the crisp, cool night. The stars and moon shown brightly overhead and the sounds of nightly creatures could be heard everywhere. It was such a beautiful, yet Sin thought nothing of it. His mind only focused on what he was doing. He was still not sure what he would do, or how he would react, but he was almost certain as to what the outcome would be.

It did not take long for him to reach his destination. He slowed his horse to a walk, as he entered a small path into the woods. Except for the light from the moon and the small torch Sin carried, the woods and the path was covered in darkness. Making his way slowly around a bend, he could see a partly lit clearing up ahead, as well as the glitter of green armor nearby. This was his destination. He made his way closer to the clearing, and he could start to see the area clearly.

It was only a small clearing. Torches were placed around the perimeter, lighting up the area well. In the center a large carriage rested on the grass, the horse were unleashed and were off grazing. There was about 20 or 30 soldiers around the camp. Some stood guard, others sat around camp fires.

As he got closer to them something seemed different about them. Get Sin really had to look, not once but twice to make sure what he saw. They were all women! He looked around the camp, like his head was on a swivel. They were all women. He walked into the clearing, and it started to dawn on him who he was meeting. His face was awestruck, as he made his way straight to the carriage. None of the guards even tried to stop him, they bowed slightly as he passed by. Many were trying to suppress smiles or giggles. He didn't give them a second of thought.

He walked up slowly to the carriage. He reached up carefully toward the door, resting his hand on the handle. He took a deep breath, then flung the door open. There sitting in front of him was a smiling Sun Shang Xiang, tears welling up in her eyes as she returned his gaze. The two remained there, staring at each other, for what seemed liked an eternity. Both expecting the other to suddenly disappear, or waiting to awake from a dream.

Like a sudden flood, emotions came pouring out. Get Sin nearly dove into the carriage, pulling Shang Xiang into a tight hug. Shang Xiang returned the hug and rested her head on his shoulder as she laughed and cried at the the same time. He pulled quickly away from her, only to pull her back in for a passionate kiss. There they remained until all breath had left them, and nature forced them to separate. They remained close, their foreheads still touching, looking at one another.

"I missed you so much...did you..." She asked quietly.

Get Sin smiled back at her, pulled her in for a quick kiss, then answered. "You have no idea."

They kissed again, separating Get Sin looked her over. She was wearing an elegant dress, she looked like royalty even wearing necklaces, rings, and everything. But that was not what caught his eye. What stuck out to him was her hair. Not only was it soft and shiny, it reached down below her shoulder.

"You grew your hair out?" He asked as he gently ran his hand through her hair.

"Yeah...well...I remembered, a while ago, that you said you like long hair...so...well...I thought..."

"That I'd still love you." He finished for her, she nodded quickly. All the worries, all the doubts he had carried that year disappeared. They once again engaged in another passionate kiss.

"Ahem!" Someone spoke from the other side of the carriage.

Get Sin quickly pulled away and looked toward the source of the voice.

"Oh, hey Shi Rong, how's it going?"

"It is good to see you again Sin. It's been a while."

Get Sin was as happy as he ever been, everything was just the way he wanted. Looking around he was surprised to find a baby resting quietly in Shi Rong's arm. It's eyes were closed and it was wrapped in a light pink blanket.

"Hey! Is that your baby. Congratulations."

Shi Rong didn't answer him, she only looked down to the baby. Shang Xiang put an hand on Get Sin's shoulder, successfully pulling his attention back to her.

"Sin...that's my daughter." She spoke quietly.

Get Sin's attitude suddenly fell, as he was pulled back to reality. "Oh, so she's...Liu Bei's daughter."

"No...me and Liu Bei...we haven't done anything like that." Get Sin looked at her questionably. "Shi Rong has been posing as the mother while we were in Shu." Shang Xiang gently took the baby from Shi Rong and held it in front of Get Sin. The baby stirred a bit but fell back into a peaceful sleep as her mother rocked her. Shang Xiang continued to speak softly, "so, up till now she's been known as Shi Chan. Get Sin I would like you to meet...Get Chan."

Get Sin was still confused he stared at Shang Xiang, then looked down at the sleeping baby. His face showed that he either couldn't believe what was happening or he was just didn't know what was going on.

Sun Shang Xiang smiled brightly as she spoke, "Sin! She's your daughter."

Get Sin could not believe it. He took the baby into his hands, and held her out in front of him. He took a minute just to look at her, her small hands and feet, she seemed so peaceful. Everything started to set in. He pulled Get Chan close as he leaned forward resting his head on Shang Xiang's chest. She lovingly wrapped her arms around his head.

Shi Rong seized the opportunity to escape the emotional moment, and slipped out the door.

After a minute, Get Sin raised his head. "Wait, how is that possible?"

"You mean me and Liu Bei?" Get Sin nodded. "Well, he's gone, for months at a time, on his...northern campaign. For such a...virtuous...guy, he sure does raise a lot of war. Besides he's terrified of my guard. He won't even come into my room without my permission." The two laughed together, as they looked down at the baby.

"Still, I mean how did you keep her from other people. I mean it seems like a baby would be kind of hard to miss." Get Sin asked.

"I've had help."

"From who?"

"Besides Shi Rong and my guards, well. I've gotten help from Zhao Yun and Yue Ying."

"Really! Why?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure..."

Suddenly a commotion could be heard from outside. It sounded like many swords being unsheathed and a horse could be heard galloping into camp. Get Sin decided he should take a look, he handed the baby gently to Shang Xiang, and opened the door. He made his way outside, Shang Xiang followed behind him.

All of Shang Xiang's guards, swords drawn had circled closely around the carriage to protect their mistress. Surrounding them was over 100 men coming out of the woods. They wore no armor, no helmet. The skin was dark and covered in mud, a sinister look covered there dirty faces. They carried with them crude but brutal weapons, like large axes and maces. It was obvious that these men were from no civilized kingdom.

Get Sin then saw a man on a horse come riding up. He was a large man and, just as the soldiers, he wore no armor. His hair was dirty and matted down on his head, he face was covered with a mixture of war paint and dirt. Even from the distance they were apart, Get Sin could smell the foul stench he brought. In his hand he carried a large, terrifying mace, with hundreds of spikes sticking out it.

He pointed and dirty, grimy finger at Get Sin, and spoke in a low, rough voice, "You! You must be Get Sin. Ha. Your little meeting is over!"

AN: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW


	25. Chapter 25 New Family

AN: Alright. Um, I could apologize for not being punctual with my story, but with all the work I've done in the past few weeks, I'm actually amazed that I even found time to write this. Just a few days ago, for example, I had to give a 30 minute presentation. 30 MINUTES! YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT IS! That's almost a whole class period of me just standing there speaking in front of a whole class. And I already hate to make public speeches and we weren't even allowed to use visual aids either, I almost died. But here's the next chapter, Please leave a review, and enjoy.

Chapter 25 "New Family"

"Ha ha." The man laughed as he looked around the camp. "Did you really think you could get away from me." He took another look around the camp then turned to his troops. "What do you guys thinks? I say, we kill the guy, eat the baby, and take the women as slaves!"

The man started laughing horribly as his men snickered and grew small sinister smiles on their faces. Get Sin gritted his teeth together and unsheathed his sword. All the guards, except Shi Rong, quickly followed suit. Sun Shang Xiang pulled the baby closer to her and shrunk back into the carriage.

The man turned his horse back towards the small group, and started moving his horse slowly forward toward a defiant Shi Rong. "Hmm, I like you, you will be my personal prize." He started to move his hand down toward Shi Rong's face. Shi Rong looked disgustingly at the him and calmly swatted it away, as though she were getting rid of a fly. "Ah Yes! You will definitely come with me. You're perfect."

"SHAMOKE!" A voice came piercing through the darkness. This voice, though, was much different from Shamoke's. It was probably the exact opposite, it was a strong, virtuous voice. The sound of many marching footsteps soon followed the voice. A white horse came walking into the circle. Sitting on top, a man sat wearing clean white and gold armor. His hair was neatly tied back and he sat confidently straight. He carried a long spear and an ornate sword at his waist. His appearance gave the look of a great man. He was followed closely by a large company of men in green armor.

"Shamoke, our orders are to retrieve lady Sun, unharmed."

Shamoke, apparently the name of the ruthless man, answered, "Come on Zhao Yun, we can just say they resisted. We can still share the prizes."

"NO!"

"At least let me kill the guy."

"NO!"

"Come on Yun, we're going to war with em anyway."

"Shamoke! You and your men head back, make sure the path is clear." Shamoke tried to speak again, but was ordered again. "GO!"

Shamoke showed his disdain but he silently followed orders. With a flick of his hand, his men started to retreat back into the forest. Shamoke reared his horse around and started through the darkness.

Zhao Yun waited till Shamoke's figure had disappeared, before turning back to Get Sin.

"Lord Get Sin, you may go now...but tomorrow we will be at war...do not expect the same leniency from me."

Get Sin decided not to say anything, he nodded his head slightly and turned back to the carriage. Both him and Sun Shang Xiang, with the small Get Chan still in her arms, ducked back in the small door.

Get Sin frantically moved around collecting different oddities. "If we sneak out the other door and make it to the woods unseen, we can get away..."

Shang Xiang placed a hand on his shoulder trying to get his attention, "Sin". She spoke softly.

Get Sin didn't even hear her. "...If we keep moving all night, we'll be far enough away..."

Shang Xiang pulled hard on his shoulder and forced his head towards her. "SIN!...You know ,as well as I do, that we can't do that."

Get Sin looked directly into her eyes, tears starting to form, "I won't leave you again."

She pulled him in for a quick kiss, "It's the only way."

"No..."

"If you stay, you will become a prisoner. Liu Bei will take no time to have you executed..."

"No..."

"SIN, PLEASE!" Tears started to flow fast, "I don't know what I would do if you were hurt. If...if there was no hope of us getting back together...Please...just go!"

Get Sin looked back outside, then back to Shang Xiang. He had no idea what to say or do.

Shang Xiang saw his hesitation. She pulled his hands together, and placed the sleeping Get Chan in them. "Take her. She'll be safer with you."

Get Sin still didn't know what to do. He looked down at his daughter, then to Shang Xiang. She looked back at him, as a sad smile formed on her face. The couple came together and kissed.

"Promise me one thing...no matter what happens...no matter how long it takes for this to end...please...don't die." The tears started to flow from her eyes again. "Please, just stay alive."

Get Sin hated making promises he couldn't keep, he knew, when it came to it, he wouldn't have any control to keep it. But looking at Shang Xiang's tear stained face, he didn't have it in him to refuse. "I promise."

The two kissed again, as though it would be the last time. Neither wanted to stop, but they had no choice. They separated. Shang Xiang bent her head down and kissed Get Chan on the forehead. Get Sin started to slowly back away, never taking his eyes of her. He made his way out the door, still looking at Shang Xiang, not wanting to look away. Suddenly, he turned, walked briskly to his horse, mounted, and, without looking back, he went riding through the darkness. Sun Shang Xiang closed the carriage door, locked it, and remained inside by herself.

"NING! NING! Would you wake up already."

"mmmmmmmmmmm..." Gan Ning groaned, as he waved his had to try and shoo Da Qiao away.

"Ning, come on! They're probably done serving breakfast and I'm hungry."

"mmmmmmmmmm..."

Da took a piece of his skin in his hand and pinched it as hard as she could. But still she got no reaction. She let out a deep, frustrated sigh, and tried to think.

"You should use fire. Burning him is the only way to get him up." A voice spoke from the door.

Startled, Da quickly turned around to see Get Sin at the door. "Sin." She spoke softly, still surprised.

Ning suddenly sat up, looked at Sin then back to Da. He spoke sarcastically, "Did you hear that? It sounded like a...joke. But I could of sworn that guy over there said it. But that was definitely a joke."

"Shut up, Ning" Da said, as she slapped him on the arm. She turned back to Get Sin. "Hey Sin, how are doing?"

"I'm...better." He spoke with a small smile on his face, the first smile they had seen from him in a long time. " I've got something to show you guys." He brought both of his hands forward, showing the small baby in his hands. She was still wrapped in the same light pink blanket, but was now awake and busy sucking on a light blue ball.

Da walked toward Sin and smiled down at the baby. Then she looked at Get Sin questionably, "You...adopted a baby?" Sin shook his head. "You...found a baby?" Sin shook his head again.

"You stole a baby!" Gan Ning added, still sitting in the bed.

Both Da and Sin looked at Ning and shook their heads. "Idiot" They both whispered.

"This is my daughter."

Ning, who had been laughing almost the whole time, became serious. "You mean...that's she's your's and Shang Xiang's baby."

Sin shook his head, and Ning fell backwards laughing.

Da gently took the baby in her hands. "She is so cute! What's her name?"

"It's Get Chan." Da took the baby over to Ning on the bed. As Get Sin watched, he noticed something about Da. Her usually flat stomach had a slight bulge in it. "Hey Da...How are you feeling?

Da didn't answer, she looked at Ning, "I guess he figured it out."

"It's probably as good a time as any to tell him."

Da looked at Ning, the smile on her face beaming, "I'm pregnant."

Before Get Sin could say anything, Xiao Qiao came running in the door. "There you are! You know I have been following you since you got back. Where is she?" Finding Chan, she smiled, and ran toward Da. She picked the baby up and held her in the air high above her head. "She is adorable." Get Chan looked at the strange lady wide eyed. "Hello. I'm your auntie Xiao. Yes I am, and you are the cutest and most precious thing I have ever seen." The baby suddenly started to cry. Xiao pulled her back down and held her close. "awwww, what's the matter. Are you hungry. You want a bottle. Your auntie Xiao will get you one. Yeah, it's alright." Xiao walked out the door with the baby and started down the hall.

Da quickly stood up and followed her, leaving Ning and Sin alone. After watching them go down the hall, Sin turned back to Ning still sitting in his bed.

"So...everything good now." Gan Ning asked him.

Get Sin nodded his head slowly as he answered, "Everything...is better."

AN: I actually meant to bring in the Da being pregnant thing last chapter, but I forgot. So i just sorta threw it in there. Please leave a review.


	26. Chapter 26 Final Cause

AN: Hey, I updated. Yeah, sorry bout dat. It might be kind of difficult to understand the area in this chapter, I tried to draw a map and put it on but apparently you can't do that. Anyway, if you have any problems or questions just ask me. Also please leave a review, the last chapter didn't get any reviews and it really hurts. I know I've had a problem updating but now I'm done the semester and I have a whole free week. I will be updating by next week. Please leave a review. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 26 "Final Cause"

While Get Chan was in the care of Da and Xiao, Gan Ning and Get Sin were called to the war council for the battle to come. They entered the main chamber, all the generals were gathered around a large table in the center, holding a map of the area. After a few greetings, Get Sin looked over the map. (This is kind of difficult to describe, just think of the battlefields from the Dynasty Warriors games) A large river cut, diagonally through the map. The Wu forces were drawn on the eastern section in red ink, while the Shu forces were drawn in green ink on the opposite side. Only two bridges were drawn on the map, both on the far sides of the river, these bridges were surrounded by forest on both sides of the river. The center of the map was mostly flat grasslands, on the Shu side this grassland was surrounded on the left and right by the forests around the bridge, and to the rear by a high cliff almost 2 li away from the river. A small fort was drawn was drawn at the base of the mountain.

Lu Xun stood up at the head of the table, "Generals, negotiations have failed, we will be at war tomorrow." A few of the generals turned to one another and spoke, but most already knew this would happen. "The Shu forces number over 200,000, our only hope is to hold them off and wait for our time."

Han Dang, sitting at the far end of the table, slammed his hand on the table. "Negotiations, retreating, now you want us to just sit here and wait! We must attack..."

"We don't have the numbers..." Lu Xun defended.

"Numbers do not decide the victor! Your teachers knew this! Why do you hide, when we should fight! Just because you fear them, doesn't mean our army does!" Many other generals called out their support.

Get Sin watched as Lu Xun slowly shrunk away. He was still such a young kid, and with the deaths of both of his teachers he still had much to learn. Still, there was no doubt that he was a brilliant strategist. He could not yet stand up against the other veteran generals and if it had not been for Sun Quan he would have broken.

"Lu Xun is the Grand Commander, what he says goes! Now you all will remain silent and listen to his orders!"

Lu Xun continued but was far less commanding, "We have broken down all the bridges in the area, except these two. Jiang Qin is taking care of the Shu navy, so they will not be able to cross the river anywhere else. We must not let them across." Lu Xun started to draw on the map, indicating which units would move where. "Zhou Tai and Zhu Huan will be in command of the forces at the northernmost bridge, Han Dang and Xu Sheng will command the other. The rest of you will fall under their command. Get Sin, Gan Ning you will remain here, you may be needed in time."

With their orders, the generals left, and the battle of Yiling would begin soon.

Get Chan looked with wide, curious eyes as the two women stared back down at her, their eyes filled with compassion. The smaller one on the right spoke first.

"Hello, little Chan. It's me again, your favorite auntie Xiao...or at least...I'm kind of like your aunt. It doesn't matter, what matters is that I will always be there to help you with your hair or your make up. And your aunt Da here, will always be there to help to."

Another face came into view. The man she had come to know as her father looked down at her, she smiled happily as she recognized his familiar face.

"Yeah, and you should always go to your aunts here when you have troubles with boys, because you don't want to talk to your mother about that stuff, and believe me, I won't want to hear any of it. So, you'd better listen to whatever they say."

Another man brought his face into her view. He was a much larger and rougher man than her father, but the smile on his face put her at ease.

"And I am your uncle Ning, and I...I...I will always be there to sneak you as much and whatever kind of alcohol you want."

"Yeah, I promise you, you'll never have to listen to him." Da said, as she pushed Ning out of the picture.

Chan giggled happily as she looked back and forth at the faces of her new family. She was perfectly content, till her stomach started to rumble, and her hunger took front seat. She began to cry again.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I almost forgot." Xiao found the bottle she had brought and held it in front of the small child's mouth. Chan took the bottle in her mouth and began to drink down the contents. When she had finished, her eyes began to grow heavy.

"You should probably put her down for her nap." Da Qiao said, as she watched the baby yawn.

"Alright, I was getting a little tired anyway." Get Sin gently took Chan from Xiao and carried her back to his room. He placed her into her small crib and watched as she began to fall asleep. "See, whoever said this parenting stuff is hard, was dead wrong." He began to walk away, but just as he turned around Chan began to cry. He quickly turned back thinking something had happened, she immediately became quiet and slowly drifted back to sleep. He turned again only to hear he cry again. He tried to back away slowly keeping an eye on her as long as he could, but as soon as he left, she cried. He finally gave up. She now seemed awake, looking up at him with her large eyes. "Fine." He picked her up again, "Have it your way."

Get Chan finally slept on the bed with her father. Lying comfortably in the crevice of his arm, her head lightly resting on his shoulder. Get Sin was perfectly content staying there, listening to his daughters untroubled breathes, and staring up at the ceiling in thought. He would eventually drift off to sleep as well, awaking a couple hours later, as the baby in his arms began to stir. She awoke. Get Sin picked her up and carried her around the room. She began to point towards the window and looked wondrously at the outside world. Seeing this, Sin took her outside to walk through the gardens. She pointed at almost everything she saw, looking happily at the graceful butterflies, the colorful flowers, and the flying birds. The two remained outside together until the sun began to fall and dinner was to be served. After a quick meal and a quick bottle, the pair began to roam the halls. Coming to a balcony looking out over the eastern sky, Lu Xun stood looking up at the now bright stars.

"Hey."

Lu Xun turned quickly to the voice. "Get Sin...ahh, and lady Chan. How are you?" Lu Xun jokingly bowed to the young lady.

Get Chan cooed and pointed the strange hat that lay on top the man's head.

"What, you like this?" Lu Xun took the half off his head and handed it to her. "Here, consider it a gift."

She giggled, as she waved the hat around. Then she chomped down on it and began sucking on it. Get Sin pulled the hat out of her mouth, only to have her shove it right back in.

"Get Sin, you mind if I ask you something."

Sin gave up trying to keep the hat out of Chan's mouth, "Sure, go ahead."

Lu Xun looked out at the sky, hesitating but still continuing. "You've been in Wu even shorter than I have, yet everyone respects you. How did you do it?"

Get Sin laughed quickly at the question, he was kind of expecting it. "You can't really compare the two of us, we had completely different situations. I'm nowhere near as smart as you are."

"Well, I have to do something. None of the other generals trust me, none of them listen to me or believe in my strategies."

"You have to realize that what they think doesn't matter. You are the commanding general, a rank held by only three men before you. You did not gain this position by accident or mistake."

"I am not Zhou Yu or Lu Su or Lu Meng, I am not the great strategist that they were."

"A great strategist must have two things, he must have wisdom and he must be clever. Wisdom can only be gained through experience, but you can only be born clever, as you were. It is only a matter of time before you surpass even your even your teachers. The most important thing right now is that you believe in your strategies because there the best that this kingdoms got."

Lu Xun looked up at the sky just in time to see two stars dart across the sky and disappear. The two remained silent until Get Chan grabbed their attention. The hat she had been waving around had escaped her grasp and fell to the ground. She was pointing at it and looked back to her father. Her eyes began to water and it seemed she was going to burst.

"Oh, don't worry, I got another one, don't cry." Lu Xun tried to comfort her and was about to run off in search of another hat, when a soldier came onto the balcony.

"Lord Lu Xun, Lord Get Sin, Sun Quan urgently requests your presence." The soldier quickly spoke, then turned and began to walk off.

The two men decided not to ask questions. Get Sin quickly handed Get Chan into the Qiaos' care, then went quickly to the main chamber. There Sun Quan, Gan Ning, and Lu Xun were already looking over the map.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Han Dang went against orders and attacked." Lu Xun continued, "Thinking I had given the command Zhou Tai did as well."

"What happened?"

"Slaughter." Gan Ning added grimly.

"Well, we're still here, so I guess they didn't get across." Get Sin concluded.

Lu Xun spoke, looking down at the map. "Yes, Xu Sheng and Zhu Huan were able to hold the bridges. But...the casualties were too many. By morning Shu will be renewing their assault...we won't be able to last."

"Lu Xun, I know you have a plan, what do you have for us." Sun Quan asked.

"The original plan, had been to wait till the heat drove all of Shu's forces into the woods. Clearing out this plain in the middle. This summer had been especially dry, a fire attack would have don't a great deal of damage. Because we also have forces in our part of the woods the only suitable place to begin the fire attack would have been here in the center. If we were to commence the attack now our archers and catapults would be easy targets for the enemy on the opposite bank. We need find a way to drive them out of the center." Lu Xun looked at Get Sin who nodded back, he thought for a minute before proposing his plan. Finally, he hesitantly drew his strategy on the map. Taking a deep breath he stood up, and looked at the others with a mournful face. "This plan...is very dangerous. There is only a small chance that it will work...and the survival rate for the participants is even lower."

All were quiet as they took in the strategy. Sun Quan finally spoke. "Gan Ning, Get Sin, I can only entrust this task to you. I am not commanding you to do it, but...will you accept it?"

Get Sin looked at Gan Ning before turning back to Sun Quan. "A long time ago, Gan Ning and I made an oath. Not only to live as brothers and die on the same day..."

"But also, to die for a cause of our choosing!" Gan Ning yelled almost angrily.

Silence reigned again. Gan Ning and Get Sin looked angry and it seemed that they had refused to take part.

Get Sin finally smiled, "I guess...dying for the kingdom of Wu isn't such a bad cause."

"Hell yeah." Gan Ning added enthusiastically.


	27. Chapter 27 One Last Time

AN: Okay, I have a really good excuse this time. Here it is: I died. Don't worry I'm alive now so I'm back. What!? All right fine. My bad, ok, my bad. But I only have one chapter left after this and it doesn't seem like I have many readers left, which is really disheartening. I know that's mostly my fault but please if there is anybody out there who are still reading, please let me know what you think. I'll try my hardest to finish the last chapter in timely fashion. Thank you all.

Chapter 27 "One Last Time"

Some two hundred men sat in the main tent. Much chatter filled the room, most of them questioned why they had been gathered.

Sun Quan stopped before entering the tent and turned to Get Sin and Gan Ning. "These are all the troops that we could muster on such short notice. I have to warn you though, these are our backup reserve troops...they're our oldest veterans."

Get Sin and Gan Ning opened the tent flap slightly and looked horrifically at the scene in front of them. Every single soldier had to be at least 50, and every single one came equipped with with grey hair and long grey beards. Most sat around drinking and talking amongst themselves, others had fallen asleep, and some had even removed their shoes and were picking their at their feet.

Ning turned back to Quan, "Holy crap, you weren't kidding! Why the heck are these guys still in the army?"

"They volunteered to stay. Just think of it this way, they have plenty of experience?" Quan defended.

"Too much of anything is never good...but...they'll do." Get Sin said.

The three men entered the ten and stood on the stage. Every soldier snapped to attention as there liege came into view. A servant wheeled in a map showing Lu Xun's plan so that the men could see it.

Gan Ning spoke confidently to them. "Men, tonight we have orders to raid the enemy's position." The men looked at the map and then back at Gan Ning, their faces showed the reluctance. Gan Ning, seeing their fear, became enraged. "What? You men fear death! If I, a general of rank, can risk my life, can you not!?"

Get Sin pulled Ning back and tried to calm him, "Ning, settle down. We need to handle this with a little more charisma."

"Hey, that worked last time."

Gan Ning fell back defeated as Get Sin stepped forward to address the men.

"You...you are veterans of Wu. You have fought for her for many years, and she has re payed you by giving your family a home, food, security, and peace. You have payed your dues. But will you now, in her greatest hour of need, abandon her to her fate." Many of the soldiers began to shake their heads. "Or will you fight for her, one last time, so that she may continue to support your sons and daughters and their children after that!" Now, most of the soldiers were getting into the speech, standing up and cheering along. "Today, you will fight a man who is fighting only for vengeance. He has ignored all of his advisers and has forgotten the ways of war. He has drafted every single male from his kingdom! Every single son has been taken from their family, what future could his rule have. He has destroyed his kingdom so that he can come and destroy ours...He has 250,000 draftees blocking our way...and we have you...a handful of Wu's finest volunteers. Eat your fill and drink to your heart's content, for today, we will will break our enemies and send them back to their lands, so that they may never again threaten our home, the kingdom of Wu!"

All the men were now cheering. The leaders left them to their drink, so as to prepare themselves.

Gan Ning walked quietly into the room and sat down on the couch. Da Qiao sat next to her mirror brushing her long dark hair. They stayed their in silence for awhile, until Da spoke to him through the mirror.

"So, you will go then."

"Yeah."

She continued to brush her,she seemed to be angry now. After a little, she spoke again. "I don't know who came up with this plan, or how you guys see it, but there is no way that this will work!"

"If we can't find a way, we'll make one."

Da slammed her brush on the table and turned towards him. "And what are we supposed to do! Just sit here and watch you die! Please, just don't go."

"I'm sorry Da, I have to."

Ning sat back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling, Da turned back to her mirror and began to look through the drawers. She closed the drawer and sat down next to Ning.

"Here, I want you to take this." She handed him a small dagger in an ornate sheath. "My father gave this to me when me and my sister left home. He told me, it was now my job to protect myself and Xiao. I don't think I need it anymore, I want you to take it."

Ning accepted it and smiled at her, "Here". He reached inside his belt and pulled out his own dagger. "It's nothing compared to your's, but it's still sharp. Now we both have each others."

She took the dagger from him, then snuggled up next to him.

"I don't want to lose you. I don't want to be alone again."

Ning bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "You won't be alone." He said as he put a hand on her pregnant stomach. "And I will always be here."

She looked up and smiled at him. They kissed, then closed their eyes and rested together.

Get Sin made it to his room and opened the door. Xiao Qiao sat on his bed playing with Get Chan. Seeing him come in, she stood up.

"Hey, Chan. Your father's back."

Chan giggled and reached her arms out to him. Sin smiled at her and took her into his arms.

Sin held Chan in front of him, as he spoke. "Xiao, I just signed the papers...to leave Chan in your care, if I don't return tomorrow."

"What!?" Xiao's smile disappeared.

"I want you to raise her."

"But...Sin...I mean, are you sure...I'm such a..."

"Xiao! I trust you." He diverted his attention away from Chan. "I hoped that...since you'd given up on love after Zhou Yu...I hoped, you would love my daughter."

Xiao nodded and smiled, as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I will."

"Raise her as you see fit, just promise me that..."

"I know."

Get Sin turned his attention back to Get Chan, he held her so that she looked right back up at him. "Hey, I'm sorry but I must go now. I'm not sure when I'll see you again. But you'll always have a home here and people who love you. You better make sure you listen to your aunt, okay?" Chan looked at her father, not really understanding. She smiled at him. "If there is one thing that you learn from me let it be this. Don't ever give up. No matter what happens in your life, no matter what people do to you...just make the best of who you are...because in the end, that is all that matters."

Get Chan no longer smiled. She had a sense that something wrong, she looked up at her father with large watery eyes. He half-smiled at her, bent down and kissed her on the head. Then he handed her over to Xiao.

"Goodbye Xiao, and thank you." Xiao tried to nod with her tear stained face. Get Sin looked down at his daughter and placed his hand softly on her head. "Chan, Your mother and I love you. We will always be watching."

He took one last look then began to walk away. Just as he turned, Get Chan yelled out to him.

"Baba!"

He turned back to see her stretching her arms out to him. "I almost forgot." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Shang Xiang's red headband. "I want you to keep this, ok?" He handed it over to Chan, she held it tightly in her hands. She didn't bite it or wave it around, she only held it close to her. "Ok...see ya. I love you."

He slowly backed away to the door, she watched his every move. As he made it to the door, she waved to him. He smiled weakly, waved back, then turned and left.

After a few stops, Get Sin finally made it to the armory. Gan Ning was already there, he was swinging around a chain with iron ball at the end.

"What the heck is that?" He asked.

"This thing? This is one of my favorite weapons now. You should have seen it. There was this huge city with these high walls. And everybody was like 'oh what are we going to do'. So, I started to climb up the wall. Like This!" He positioned himself like he was climbing the wall. "Everyone started shooting stuff at me, but I just pushed em aside, threw up this here chain, and pulled the general down by his neck. Pretty much conquered the city by myself."

"This all happened at He Fei?"

"Yeah. Besides that, you missed possibly my greatest achievement, not to mention how me and Ling Tong made up. Your little hiatus caused you to miss a lot."

Get Sin became serious. He looked down at the ground and spoke slowly. "You know, I never apologized for what happened. I don't know what was wrong with me."

"Nah, come on. Everyone has a bad...year."

"No. I was a fool. One thing goes wrong and I'm gone."

"In your defense, it was a really bad thing."

Get Sin looked at him questionably. "What happened to you? After we were separated, I mean. You changed so much."

"Come on, can't we just drop this whole conversation. I'm the elder brother, so I'm supposed to be strong. You're the younger, that means you have to be the baby. Now come on, are you ready?"

Get Sin laughed and shook it off, "All right, let's finish this."

The night was coming to an end. The fourth watch had taken their positions as the moon began to fall. A cool, brisk breeze blew its way through the clearing and the river flowed smoothly to the east. Everything seemed peaceful. But as the Shu sentries walked along the beach they spotted something. It was just a dark spot in the water but it seemed to be floating toward them. Guards started to run back and forth, reporting the news, then rushing back to the beach. The object kept getting closer. It looked like a giant wooden box, the size of a house, eerily drifting towards them. They fired upon it, to no effect. They tried to shoot it with fire arrows, but the fire wouldn't catch. Suddenly, from the east and west, war drums rang out and battle cries took to the air. Everyone started to panic. They ran from side to side, thinking they had been tricked, thinking it was just a decoy. Other then the light from torches near the bridges they found nothing, yet they kept running. As they panicked, the box continued to get closer and closer, until it finally beached on the sand. All attention was turned toward the object. The drums and cries stopped, and the fires disappeared. Everyone stared as if anything would happen any moment. Minutes went by and nothing happened. The braver men started to approach the object, while the others slowly started to back away from it. Minutes seemed to pass by like hours.

What seemed like a long time had passed, many of the sentries began to let down their guard. Suddenly, the drums began to ring again, and another different battle cry rang out. This one was much closer though, and it's intensity was like that of a tiger at the end of it's road. All of the sudden, the sides of the large box crumbled to the ground, and, as fast as lightning, men sprang out fully armed. Let by two generals in the lead, they charged forward. Those guards closest were cut down before they could even recover, others threw their weapons and ran, most were so surprised they dropped their crossbows or misfired and were mercilessly killed. Get Sin and Gan Ning led their small force, easily wiping away all the enemies on the beach. The extinguished all torches and flames, an continued the charge.

Shu soldiers had been lined up on the beach. The line reached across the whole clearing and it was five men thick. But with no light on the beach, they couldn't see their foe, they could only hear the screams of their allies and the terrible roar of their enemies.

Get Sin, Gan Ning, and their army charged through the darkness. They slammed into the center of the enemy, breaking through like a rock through water, sending ripples of panic and chaos through the rest of the line. They split the enemy completely in two, cutting down men left and right. The rest of the enemy broke formation and fled into the forest.

With their two leaders at the helm, the Wu veterans charged on. For two li, they broke through line after line of Shu soldiers. They fought like old tigers, who, seeing their life coming to an end, fought with all of their heart. Men, with their last dying breathes, threw themselves upon their foe, hoping to take out one last enemy of Wu. They washed through the clearing like a tsunami, killing or pushing out all.

By the end of it, the entire clearing had been emptied of Shu soldiers. Get Sin, Gan Ning, and only twelve men were left. Each soldier was injured and looked worn and half dead. Get Sin had received a large cut on his left shoulder, the blood dripped down his arm, he also had a large cut on his back that was only an inch away from taking his life. Gan Ning had a deep gash on his left cheek and a short arrow planted deeply into his left thigh. They found themselves at the end of the clearing, just in front of a large fort. They turned and looked back across the river to watch the show.

As they had fought, the Wu artillery and archers had set up their units opposite the river. Once they were ready, they gave the signal and opened fire. From where Get Sin and Gan Ning were, it looked like a rising sun. The flames from the bows and trebuchets lit up the entire sky, then fell down like rain. The forest immediately burst into flames.

Their mission was accomplished. Cheers could be heard from all the way across the river and the shouts of retreating men could be heard through the forest. Get Sin and Gan Ning looked at each other and began to laugh. All of the veterans began to celebrate and started to walk back towards the river.

Just as they were about to return to camp, a horse came bursting out of the forest and ran wildly around a large tree. Gan Ning, still in his happy mood, chased after it. Get Sin remained where he was watching and laughing as Ning, with a gimp leg, tried to catch the crazed horse. After much work, Ning was able to tame it and mounted. He looked back at Get Sin and amusingly struck a illustrious pose. Suddenly, his head shot forward and his face looked shocked. He fell from the horse. Get Sin was horrified at what he saw. An arrow stuck out of his head.

AN: One more left. Please help me out and leave a review.


	28. Chapter 28 One Last Change

Chapter 28 "One Final Change" (Part 1)

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AN: I really just wanted to finish this story, I don't care that it has been so long that no one is reading it anymore. I'm not sure about my other stories, but I have some ideas. I broke the chapter up into two parts because it's really long, so I'll update that part in a few days. Thanks to everybody who reads this and leave a review if you wish.

Get Sin ran as fast as his legs would take him. His heart beat thunderously in his chest and his breath seemed short. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a man; bow in hand, fleeing the scene on top of a black horse. He turned his attention back to Gan Ning, who had sat up against the trunk of a large tree, his hands in his lap, and his eyes closed. Sin bent down in front of his brother and tried desperately to revive him. He called out his name and slapped him in the face, but his eyes did not move. He stood up and looked down at Ning. It slowly started to sink in. He was dead. Not able to look at his body anymore, he looked around the barren clearing. The sun was slowly rising over the horizon. Fires still burned throughout the forest, but the screams had begun to diminish. The horse still stood where Ning had fallen, he looked on quietly.

Seeing Ning's large broadsword laying on the ground, Get Sin walked over, picked it up, and walked back to Ning. He sat down next to the body and looked down on the blade. On it's shining surface, he saw his whole life go by. His happy, carefree life as a youngster, his lonely and despairing teen years, then his new life reunited with his brother in Wu. All these memories came flooding back to him. He looked at Ning, took a deep breath and spoke; "I guess that's it then. You've passed on and, as I swore, I will join you." Looking back to the broadsword in his hand, he saw another set of memories. "…Shang Xiang, Chan, I'm sorry."

Get Sin held the sword so he looked down at its sharp edge. He brought the blade up to his chest and held it at his throat. Just as he was prepared, he made a new decision. He stood up, holding the sword at his side, and looked down at Ning. "I will join you...but not yet." He looked out at the sun, "You see. It's the start of a whole new day. I have until the sun sets." He looked down the path the man had retreated on. "I have a few things left to do."

He bent down to place the large broadsword into Ning's hand. As he pulled his brother's hands apart, a small hidden blade fell to the ground. Get Sin stopped, picked up the small dagger, looked at it for a minute, and then put it in his pocket. Changing his mind, he placed Ning's hand back into his lap and stabbed the broadsword into the ground next to him. He quickly turned, ran to the horse, and got on it's back.

Get Sin pushed the horse forward a few steps, but already found himself turning to look back, he was shocked by what he saw. Hundreds of crows had already begun flying down and covering the tree. Get Sin had already been worried about some unseen enemy finding Ning's body, and now the thought of these crows ripping his brother's corpse to pieces was all that he could think of. He turned the horse around. The crows suddenly began to caw at him. It did not sound like the usual crow there was something different. It seemed as though they were telling him to go. He stared at them for a moment, mesmerized. He would not even allow himself to think they were talking to him, but every part of his being was telling him to trust them and go.

Get Sin finally realized that the crows were lamenting the loss as well. Gan Ning had been there champion, their role model. He had begun his life just as they had, as the scum of society, pirates and scavengers. Yet, Gan Ning had risen above that. He had become a great and honorable general, and had gained the respect of an entire nation. Now, with their example gone, they mourned for him. They were lost, but they would still do their part to protect the body. Get Sin thought himself crazy, but he nodded to them, turned around and went galloping down the same path as the murderer.

Sin and the horse traveled for quite some time. They passed by the northern bridge where they could see the destruction wrought by the fire. Thousands of burnt bodies lay all over. A few lucky soldiers still scrambled around but they completely ignored the enemy general. Get Sin moved unheeded through the charred forest and came to another clearing. Halfway through the clearing, the murderer was riding calmly on his horse. Even from where Sin was, he recognized the man, it was Shamoke. As Sin watched, his enemy joined with a small group of soldiers led by another general. Sin recognized this other general as well, it was Zhao Yun. None of them mattered though; Sin's only focus was the man that killed his brother.

Get Sin charged across the clearing. "Shamoke!" he yelled, stopping a short distance away from the small group. The group turned around and met Get Sin's stare. "Did you truly believe you could get away without a fight?"

Shamoke stared back at Get Sin, and finally recognized him, "ooh, your the guy from a few nights ago. Ha, you lived through the night and now you wish to just throw your life away in fight with me."

Get Sin didn't say anything else; he only continued to glare at Shamoke.

Shamoke could see his determination, "Fine, if it's a duel you want it's a duel you'll get." He dismounted. "You hear that Yun. We're going to fight, and there are going to be NO interruptions, no matter what."

Shamoke wielded his thousand-spiked mace and walked towards Get Sin. Stopping a few paces from Sin, he took up his stance. "Well?" he asked arrogantly.

Get Sin dismounted and set the horse free. He unsheathed his sword and took his stance in front of Shamoke. The two stood there for a while as if time had come to a halt. Shamoke had a smile on his face, while Get Sin continued to glare at him. So many thoughts were going through Sin's head, he was in no condition to fight, but he had no choice.

Shamoke's smile grew just before he attacked. He jumped forward and swung his mace down at his opponent' head. Get Sin snapped out of his thought and jumped back, barely dodging the weapon. Shamoke attacked again, swinging vertically at Sin's head. Sin dodged to his right and swung his own blade at Shamoke's open back. Shamoke blocked the blow with the metal bracer on his left arm, and then tried to uppercut Sin with his mace. Sin jumped back to avoid the blow. Shamoke recovered and attacked again. Jumping high in the air, his mace above his head, he swung his weapon as hard as he could at Get Sin's head. With no time to dodge the assault, Sin held his sword with both hands, horizontally, over his head. He closed his eyes as he met the blow. With all his strength, he was able to withstand the hit. He opened his eyes to see a hundred or so, sharp spikes less than an inch from his eyes. He pushed Shamoke back and the two fighters separated.

The two continued to fight ferociously for many rounds. They're exhaustion was finally beginning to show.

Get Sin dodged a blow to his left. In desperation, he charged at Shamoke. His attack was blocked and he was too close and tired to jump back. Shamoke dropped his weapon and wrapped his arms around Sin. He squeezed and shook the helpless Get Sin, causing him let go of his sword, it flung several feet away from them. Sin felt like he was being crushed. He couldn't breath and his bones giving out. In desperation, he rammed his head at Shamoke's eye, causing him to yell out in pain and release Sin from his grip. Get Sin quickly scrambled away to find his sword. Shamoke looked through one eye, and saw Get Sin with his back turned. Picking up his mace, he threw it at Sin with all his strength. Get Sin could feel the blow coming. Finding his sword, he turned around quickly with just enough time. He fell to the ground and deflected the mace, sending it flying off into the woods.

Now weaponless, Shamoke called to his soldiers, "Someone give me a weapon. You! Give me your sword."

A terrified soldier was about to give over his weapon when Zhao Yun stepped forward. "Sheathe that sword soldier, there are to be no interruptions in this fight."

Shamoke looked angrily at Zhao Yun then looked back at his opponent.

Get Sin had not even been able to stand up yet. He was weakly sitting on one knee, desperately trying to regain some energy, but it was slow. He looked down, breathing heavily, as the sweat dripped down from his head. This period of rest did nothing to help regain his strength; the only thing it did was give him time to think about what had happened and cloud his mind. Using his sword for support, Get Sin slowly made his way up. Finally standing, he looked up to see a weaponless Shamoke charging at him.

Unprepared and too weak to move quickly, he could only hold his sword up in defense. Shamoke pushed by it, allowing the blade to cut into his shoulder but now he had Get Sin defenseless. Shamoke tackled him and wrapped his arms around Sin, again. He held Get Sin up in the air squeezing the life out of him. Get Sin tried another head-butt, but this time Shamoke knew it was coming and blocked with his own forehead. Sin almost fainted right there, but was some how able to keep it together. He didn't have much time; he barely had enough energy to think. Finally, he remembered something. Reaching into his robe he took out Ning's small dagger. He stabbed it quickly into the nearest part of Shamoke's body. The blade cut deeply into his stomach. Shamoke screamed in pain, and just as he did Get Sin gathered up his strength and rammed his forehead into Shamoke's jaw. Shamoke released Get Sin and both warriors fell to the ground.

Both of them sat there, only two feet from each other. Both were completely exhausted, breathing heavily, and neither felt like moving. After a while, a smile appeared on Shamoke's face and he began to laugh.

"Ha-ha, this is truly an epic battle. This duel proves it…you and me…we are truly the greatest warriors here."

Get Sin looked at him. A large grin covered his face. Get Sin thought back to all those who died in this battle, both ally and enemy. Gan Ning's blood was on his hand. So many people had died, and here he was, laughing and mocking them. He didn't care about all these soldiers, he didn't care his army had lost. He was nothing but a bloodthirsty brute, not caring about anybody or anything else.

"Don't you agree? I dare you, name any better men in this world!" Shamoke finished.

Looking at this arrogant monster, Get Sin lost it. With newfound strength, he clenched his fist, and punched Shamoke hard in the stomach. Shamoke's head shot forward and his breath left him. Get Sin then grabbed tightly onto the dagger and ripped it out. Shamoke grunted loudly again. He couldn't talk, he couldn't move, he could only watch.

Get Sin held the dagger at Shamoke's throat. He glared angrily at the terrified man.

"My brother was a better man."

He drove the small dagger straight into Shamoke's neck, piercing it all the way through his throat. Shamoke gurgled for a second then fell over dead. Get Sin continued to stare at this lifeless body. He sat down and breathed easily.

Zhao Yun seeing the battle was over, sent his troops away. He turned his horse away from Get Sin, but looked back at him before galloping off. "So, what are you going to do now?" He asked.

Get Sin continued to stare blankly at the body, as he answered. "I…I don't know."

Zhao Yun let out a breath; he knew what Get Sin was going to do. "I know he was your oath brother and all…but…you don't have to…"

Get Sin didn't move. There was nothing Yun could say so he decided to stop. He turned around to leave.

"So we meet again, Get Sin was it?" Asked a new voice.

Zhao Yun turned around to see Pang Tong across the field. A group of crossbowman stood next to him, with their crossbows loaded and aimed at Sin.


End file.
